Just Me
by hudmelsonberry
Summary: Elizabeth Hummel-Anderson had never been ashamed of having two dads. But when she starts school at McKinley, she doesn't want to be known as the girl with the gay dads. She just wants to be Elizabeth. How far is she willing to go to make that happen? R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**So since I'm totally Klaine-obsessed right now, I've decided I'm going to do a future story, following their daughter Elizabeth (yeah, I named her after Kurt lol) and twin sons Gabriel and Adrian as they go through life. **

_Dear Diary,_

_So today's the day. My first day at McKinley High School. I'm not nervous at all since I'll have Gabe and Ian and Anna with me - plus I'll finally get to join New Directions! I've only been waiting for that since forever. But, as excited as I am to start high school, I'm sad to see the summer go. I got to hang out with people that I never get to see and I got to meet Jolene, Uncle Puck and Aunt Lauren's new baby. Oh, Diary, she's so cute!_

_Oops, Daddy K's calling me. Gotta go, Diary. Wish me luck!_

I stuffed my diary back under my mattress so my brothers couldn't find it and raced downstairs. "Whoa. Where's the fire?" my dad (Daddy K) said, stopping me at the bottom.

"Just excited to get to school."

"Well, calm down. You're not going anywhere until you've eaten breakfast." I groaned but followed him to the kitchen. "Besides," he said over his shoulder, "you have to wait for Anna to get here." He laughed as I groaned again. My cousin Annabel Hudson was notorious for being at least ten minutes late to everything.

"Why? Can't we just let her find her own way? Serves her right for always making me late," I added under my breath.

"Elizabeth Grace Hummel-Anderson," he chastised. "Your aunt and uncle both have to work and since I work at McKinley, I offered to take her." Oh, yeah. I forgot that he'd gotten a job as Fine Arts Director at McKinley (which was basically just an excuse for him to help with New Directions).

"Why do you have to get so nice all the time?" He kissed my forehead before putting a huge plate of food in front of me. (Daddy K loved to cook, so he always made enough to feed an army as opposed to our family of five.)

He looked at his watch. "Where are your brothers?" I shrugged, my mouth full of food. Daddy K shook his head and walked back towards the stairs. "Gabe! Ian! Get down here! You're going to be late."

"Coming!" my brothers called down in unison (something they did a lot since they were twins. Pissed me off). Five seconds later, they appeared, looking identical in their football jerseys and their curly hair all over the place (something that annoyed Daddy K - he was always trying to get them to cut it). "Morning, Daddy K," they said at the exact same time, leaving me wondering how the hell they did it.

"Morning, boys. Can't you do something about that hair?" he asked, fingering on Gabe's curls, an exasperated look on his face.

"Nope." Okay, they seriously needed to stop doing that. Daddy K sighed and went to go get them breakfast.

"Morning, Lizzie," Ian (whose name was actually Adrian) said. I nodded, my mouth still stuffed with food. "Ready for high school?"

I swallowed. "Yep."

"Gonna join New Directions?" Gabe asked as if he didn't already know the answer. "We really need a strong female lead. I'm tired of carrying the weight of the whole team."

Ian shoved his shoulder. "You wish. Besides, I'm better than you," he boasted.

"Oh, really?"

"Really?"

"Wanna bet?"

"No, he doesn't," Daddy K interjected. "Seriously, boys, it's way too early in the morning for this."

"Sorry," they said before digging into the plates of food in front of them like wild animals. God, teenage boys were so disgusting.

Daddy K looked at the clock and then in the direction of the stairs and back again. He mumbled something under his breath that sounded like, "That man is going to be the death of me," before yelling up the stairs. "Blaine! Get up."

"No," came the reply. I looked at my brothers and smiled. This happened almost every morning.

"Yes."

The back door opened and Anna walked in, early for once in her fourteen years of life. "Uncle Blaine not getting out of bed?" she asked.

"Nope," I replied.

"Morning, Uncle Kurt," she called.

"Morning, Anna," he called back before turning his attention back to the stairs. "Blaine Nathaniel, get your ass out of bed."

"Kurt Elizabeth... no."

"Blaine," he said, quickly tiring of the game. "We've been doing this for over twenty years. Aren't you tired of it yet?"

My other dad (Daddy B) magically appeared at the top of the stairs. "Nope," he said, grinning.

"God, you're annoying," Daddy K complained before giving Daddy B a kiss.

"But you love me."

"Yeah... remind me again why." Daddy B laughed and ruffled Daddy K's hair. "Oh, my God. Blaine, what the hell did you do that for?" Yeah, he was bit of a drama queen.

"Calm down, sweetie." He expertly rearranged Daddy K's hair. "Better?"

"I guess. Just don't do it again or I swear to God I'll..." he trailed off, searching for a good threat.

"You'll what?" Daddy B laughed.

"I don't know. But it'll be bad."

"I'm sure it will, sweetie, I'm sure it will." He turned his attention to us. "Hey, guys. Ready for school?"

"Yep," all four of us answered at slightly different times (well, except the twins. Freaks).

"That's good." He stretched and ran his hand through his hair - which was wilder and curlier than Gabe and Ian's. "Well, I have to go get ready. Unless I want to face Kurt's wrath." We all had to laugh at that one. Daddy K didn't have a mean bone in his body.

Once everyone was properly fed (especially Anna, who Daddy K always overfed, claiming that his brother didn't know how to feed his children) we all piled into the car, the twins grumbling that they wished they had their licenses so they could drive themselves.

As we drove, Anna animatedly talked about... well, everything. She may look like her dad, but that girl talked like her mother (she could also sing like her, so I might have some competition for the top spot). But I stayed quiet, thinking.

I had never been ashamed of having two dads - it had always made me feel special that they would take the time and money to create me. But now, it kind of made me uneasy. McKinley was the only high school Lima had, but there were three middle schools, so two-thirds of the kids there wouldn't know me. What if they judged me because I didn't have a "normal" family like they did? I didn't care that I called both of my parents Daddy and it didn't matter that they paid my mother to carry me. But I also didn't want to be known as "the girl with the gay dads". I just wanted to be Elizabeth Hummel-Anderson.

I just wanted to be me.

**Was that good? Should I continue? Or should I stop and take this down? It's your call, guys. I do what you tell me to.**

**Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so I want to get the families straight, so you guys know what's going on.**

**Obviously Blaine and Kurt got married and have three kids: Gabriel and Adrian (15) and Elizabeth (14)**

**Finn married Rachel and they have two kids: Annabel (14) and Dylan(a girl)(12)**

**Sam married Quinn and they have three kids: Jasmine (12), Bryce(a boy)(10), and Jordan(a boy)(8)**

**Mike married Tina and they have two kids: Derrick (16) and Joseph (15)**

**Artie married Brittany and they have one kid (who, no, did not come by stork): Hope (16)**

**Puck married Lauren and they have three kids: Ashley (13), Mark (11), and Jolene (9 months) (PS: The first person to get the joke with these names gets a cookie)**

**Mercedes married...wait for it... David (Blaine's friend, not Karofsky haha) and they have one kid: Veronica (9)**

**Santana never got married, but she does have three kids: Gabriel and Adrian (15) and Elizabeth (14). Yep! She was Kurt and Blaine's surrogate!**

**PS: The only ones still in Lima are the Hudsons, the Hummel-Andersons, and Miss Santana Lopez. Everyone else is scattered all over the country.**

**Anyway... I'm gonna stop rambling now.**

I have three words. High. School. Sucks.

Let's start from the beginning, shall we? First, I couldn't find my locker and then I forgot my combination, which made me late for my first class. Then I found out that Anna and I have no classes together because she decided to take Spanish instead of French like we'd planned. Then I tripped and almost fell face first down the stairs. Oh, and the classes are brutal, too. Since I'd gotten straight As in middle school, I thought it would be a good idea to take all AP classes. Yeah, big mistake. I already have to read five chapters of _The Grapes of Wrath_, write a five-page paper on what I did over the summer _in French_, and memorize a bunch of dates and names of dead guys for history. And it was only going to get worse. Fun.

Thank God it was the end of the day and I could go find Anna and go to glee auditions. Finally.

"You ready for this, Pip?" she asked, using the nickname my brothers had coined for me. It was short for Pip Squeak because I was so much shorter than everybody else in my family (thanks a lot, Daddy B).

"Definitely," I said as I followed her into the bathroom. As she touched up her make-up, I looked at myself in the mirror. I wasn't ugly (I'm not conceited or anything, it's just a fact. I have good genes) - I had Daddy K's porcelain skin and Daddy B's curly, dark hair (which I wore long... and in check). My face was a mix of Daddy B and my surrogate mother Santana. It wasn't like... oh, I have her nose or his mouth or anything like that. It more like someome took their faces and mashed them into one. But my best feature was definitely my eyes. When they had been "making" me, Daddy B had asked what the likelihood of my having Daddy K's eyes was. The doctors had said slim to none, considering both he and Santana had dark eyes, which is a dominant trait. But, lo and behold, when I was born, I had the green/gray/blue eyes of Daddy K. I loved my eyes.

"Okay, we all know you're gorgeous, so stop looking at yourself and let's go." Anna tore me away from the mirror and led me to auditorium.

Everyone knew that the auditions were more of a means of determining what your strengths were, as opposed to whether or not you got in. With New Directions, if you wanted in, you were in (my uncle Mike can't even sing and he was in glee for three years). But I'd decided that I was going to treat this like a competitive audition so I could show Mr. Schuester (yes, he's still there) and the rest of the club that I had what it took to be a leading lady. (Oh, and I had to beat Anna. But don't tell her I said that.)

Anna and I took seats in the second row, right behind the current glee club. Gabe and Ian turned around. "What songs are you guys doing?" Ian asked.

" 'On My Own'," Anna replied automatically and the twins and I rolled our eyes. That was the song Aunt Rachel had sang at her own glee audition. Of course Anna would choose that song.

"Liz?" Gabe asked.

" 'Blackbird'," I responded. That song had been playing in my house for as long as I could remember and Daddy K would sing it to me whenever I had a nightmare. It was kind of my song.

Fifteen minutes later, the auditions started. There were only about ten kids, but that was okay since New Directions already had fifteen (which beats the six they had when Mr. Schue started the team over 20 years ago). The kids were good, but I knew that Anna and I were better. We'd grown up with performing. Aunt Rachel and Daddy K had been on Broadway once upon a time and all four of our parents had been in glee clubs. It was in our blood.

"Annabel Hudson," Mr. Schue called out behind us. Anna groaned and rolled her eyes. She hated being called Annabel.

She got up on the stage and said, "Uh, you can..."

"Call her Anna," I heard Daddy K say. I turned around to see him sitting next to Mr. Schue. I smiled and waved at him. He waved back.

"Okay, Anna, then. What song are you going to sing?" He asked it in the voice of a person who already knew the answer.

" 'On My Own' from _Les Miserables_." I heard Daddy K chuckle. Anna waited for the music to play, then she sang:

_On my own_  
><em>Pretending he's beside me<em>  
><em>All alone, I walk with him till morning<em>  
><em>Without him<em>  
><em>I feel his arms around me<em>  
><em>And when I lose my way I close my eyes<em>  
><em>And he has found me<em>

_In the rain the pavement shines like silver_  
><em>All the lights are misty in the river<em>  
><em>In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight<em>  
><em>And all I see is him and me for ever and forever<em>

_And I know it's only in my mind_  
><em>That I'm talking to myself and not to him<em>  
><em>And although I know that he is blind<em>  
><em>Still I say, there's a way for us<em>

_I love him_  
><em>But when the night is over<em>  
><em>He is gone, the river's just a river<em>  
><em>Without him the world around me changes<em>  
><em>The trees are bare and everywhere<em>  
><em>The streets are full of strangers<em>

_I love him_  
><em>But every day I'm learning<em>  
><em>All my life I've only been pretending<em>  
><em>Without me his world will go on turning<em>  
><em>A world that's full of happiness<em>  
><em>That I have never known!<em>

_I love him_  
><em>I love him<em>  
><em>I love him<em>  
><em>But only on my own.<em>

When she finished, the entire place errupted in applause. Gabe turned around and said, "Looks like you've got competition for the top spot, Liz."

I scoffed. "Please. Have some faith in me, big brother." I was a diva and I belonged in the spotlight and no one - not even my cousin/best friend was - going to take that away from me.

"Thank was great, Anna. I think you might be better than your mom," Mr. Schue said.

"I'm telling her you said that," Daddy K teased as Anna got off stage and sat back down next to me, high-fiving my brothers.

"Top that," she challenged.

"Oh, I will," I vowed as Mr. Schue called out "Elizabeth Hummel-Anderson". I got on stage and felt as ease. This was where I belonged - on a stage in front of an audience. This was my home. I looked into the audience and saw my brothers and Anna giving me thumbs up. Looking farther back, I saw Daddy K smiling at me and mouthing 'Good luck'. When I said that I'd be singing 'Blackbird', I saw Daddy K beam. That made me want to be even better - I wanted to make him proud.

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night_  
><em>Take these broken wings, and learn to fly.<em>  
><em>All your life,<em>  
><em>You were only waiting for this moment to arise.<em>

_Black bird singing in the dead of night,_  
><em>Take these sunken eyes, and learn to see.<em>  
><em>All your life,<em>  
><em>You were only waiting for this moment to be free.<em>

_Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly_  
><em>Into the light of the dark black night.<em>

_Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly_  
><em>Into the light of the dark black night.<em>

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night  
><em>_Take these broken wings and learn to fly_  
><em>All your life<em>  
><em>You were only waiting for this moment to arise,<em>  
><em>You were only waiting for this moment to arise,<em>  
><em>You were only waiting for this moment to arise<em>

I finished the song and beamed. I know I could have gone the Anna route and chosen a song that better showcased my awesome range, but this song really meant a lot to me and knowing that I had pretty much rocked it made me so happy.

"That was really great, Elizabeth," Mr. Schue complimented. Then turning to Daddy K, he said, "You have some pretty talented kids, Kurt."

"Well, duh," Gabe and Ian said and I laughed as I got off the stage. As I sat down and Anna started talking my ear off, one of the boys in the front row turned around and smiled at me before turning back around.

Hmm... maybe high school wasn't that bad.

**Wow, that was freaking long! Did you like it? Please tell me because I haven't gotten any reviews and those are like Klaine to me (AKA crack haha).**

**Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm loving this story so much (Kurt and Blaine as daddies makes me all warm and fuzzy inside) and I love that you guys love it. So I'm going to continue, but I have to say one thing before I do... **

**If Ryan Murphy breaks Kurt and Blaine up tomorrow night, I will cry myself to sleep and then fly to wherever he is and hold him hostage until he writes them as a couple again. Anyone else with me?**

**Anyways... fangirl rant over.**

"How'd the auditions go?" Aunt Rachel asked, popping out of nowhere before we'd even closed the door behind us.

"Oh, my God, Rachel. How many times do I have to tell you? I'm only twenty-eight," more like forty, Daddy K, but nice try, "and I do _not _need a heart attack."

"Sorry, Kurt," she apologized hastily before rounding on us again. "So, how'd the auditions go?" she asked again.

"If you're wondering how Anna did..." Gabe started, skirting around us and plopping down on the couch.

"Don't," Ian finished, mimicking Gabe. "She did great."

"Who did what?" Uncle Finn asked, walking into the living room, a bag of chips in his hand.

Daddy K walked up to him. "Glee auditions were today. Anna did great. And," he snatched the bag out of his hands, "stop eating my food."

"But I'm hungry," Uncle Finn complained. Then, upon realizing he wasn't getting the chips back, he hugged Anna and said, "I'm proud of you, baby."

"You're gonna be the star of New Directions, Anna," Aunt Rachel said confidently, reaching up to smooth her hair. "I can just feel it."

"Whoa, back it up there, Mrs. Hudson," Daddy K said, putting his hands on my shoulders. "Who said Anna's gonna be the star? Liz kicked ass, if I do say so myself." I smiled and leaned back against his chest, happy that he thought I did well.

"What are you trying to say, Kurt?"

"Just saying that Anna has some serious competition."

"Oh, please," she scoffed. As much as Anna and I competed with each other, we had nothing on Daddy K and Aunt Rachel. They'd been going at it since they were sixteen, and since they were probably the two biggest divas on the planet, the end result was often not very pretty.

"Well, that's my cue to leave," Uncle Finn proclaimed. He kissed Aunt Rachel and Anna on the heads. "See you guys at home." He clapped Daddy K on the shoulder. "Bye, little brother," he laughed before stealing the bag of chips before bolting out the door. Daddy K shook his head and mumbled something about Uncle Finn needing to grow up and something about how just because Uncle Finn was taller, that didn't mean he was older.

"So..." Ian said, getting up and backing away slowly, like a person backing away from a wild animal. Gabe followed. "We gotta..."

"Go," Gabe finished before they both bolted up the stairs. Sensing that they had the right idea, Anna and I followed them.

When we got up to my room, Anna flopped on to my perfectly made bed while I settled into my favorite armchair. "Can you believe it?" she asked, rolling onto her stomach to look at me, further messing up my bed. "We're in New Directions, Liz." To a lot of people, being in a high school glee club wasn't something to get excited about, but Anna and I had grown up hearing stories about New Directions (and the Warblers) and how it changed a lot of people's lives. Being in New Directions was to us what getting into a dream college is to other people. It was pretty much everything.

"Yeah, it's great," I replied absentmindedly as I logged into my Facebook account.

_One new friend request._

"Are you okay, Liz? You seem... out of it."

_Matthew Davies._

"Yeah, I'm fine." Matthew Davies. The guy who smiled at me. He had a name.

"You sure?"

_Accept friend request?_

"Yeah. Totally."

"Okay," she said before rolling onto my pillows and closing her eyes.

I looked at the computer screen where the profile of the really cute older boy who had just friended me. Then I looked at the picture on my bedside table. It was a picture of my whole family - Aunt Rachel, Uncle Finn, Anna and her little sister Dylan, Grandma Carole, Grandpa Burt, Gabe, Ian, me, and my dads. I looked back and forth between the two, wondering if it was possible for me to have a normal life. Would anyone accept me with the unconventional family that I had? I know that Gabe and Ian seemed to fare well enough, but they'd always been super popular and no one would dare ever say anything bad about them. But me - I was just the little freak of a drama queen who tended to stay out of everybody's way. To them, I hardly existed, so what did it matter if they hurt my feelings?

I looked at the picture again. I loved both of my dads very much, but I also wanted to normal.

I looked at the computer again. I had to try.

_Accept friend request?... Yes._

* * *

><p>The next day I walked into the choir room with Anna and we took seats in the front row. Since we were literally the first ones there, we watched as the other kids filed in. Gabe and Ian, a couple of older kids I didn't know, more kids I didn't know, Julia Clark (a girl I'd gone to school with forever, but whom had never given me the time of day), even more kids I didn't know, some that I vaguely recognized, and then... Matthew Davies. I don't know what it was, but just seeing him made my heart jump. Maybe it was his long dirty blonde hair (the kind of hair that drove Daddy K crazy - you know, all in his face and stuff). Or maybe it was his dark brown eyes that looked so warm and inviting. Or maybe it was the fact that when he walked into the room, he made a beeline straight for me.<p>

"Hey. Is anyone sitting here?" he asked, indicating the empty chair next to me.

"Only my invisible friend," I replied before mentally kicking myself. Why the hell did I say that? Now he's going to think I'm either a) a freak b) a baby or c) both.

But to my surprise, he laughed. "Do you think they'd mind moving?" He flashed me million-dollar smile that sent shivers up my spine.

"Nope," I answered before he sat down.

"So, Elizabeth, I've never seen you here before. Are you new?"

"I'm a freshman," I said shyly, hoping that didn't deter him (his Facebook profile said he was a junior). "And you can call me Liz. Everybody does."

"Cool," he said as Mr. Schue walked in.

"Hey, guys. Welcome back. And to our new members, welcome. It's great to have you." I swore he smiled at me and Anna, but that may have been my ego getting in the way. "Before we get started, there's someone I want to introduce you guys to." Daddy K walked into the room. "This is Mr. Hummel-Anderson and..." he paused because Daddy K had cringed. He despised being called Mr. Hummel-Anderson. He said it made him feel old. "Is something wrong?"

"Kids," Daddy K addressed us. "I'm not an official teacher at this school, so please call me Kurt. Mr. Hummel-Anderson makes me feel old." See? Do I know my dad or what?

"Okay, Kurt," the twins chorused, wicked grins on their identical faces.

"Except for you," he amended. The twins slumped in their seats, defeated.

"Anyway," Mr. Schue continued, "Kurt is our new Fine Arts director. Which is just an excuse to help with New Directions, right Kurt?" He nodded and I laughed, having called that when he applied for the job. "Kurt was an original member of New Directions, so he's going to be a real help in preparing for Sectionals."

"And Regionals," Gabe added.

"And Nationals," Ian chimed in.

"Of course," Mr. Schue said. "So for those of you who may not know, every week I give you guys an assignment and your job is to find a song to fit the lesson. Since this is the first week, I want to get to know each and every one of you. Which means I want you to pick a song that defines who you are as a person and get up here and sing it for everyone. Alone," he added for the benefit of the twins, who nearly always sang duets. "I want you to dig deep inside yourself. Find that piece of you that you've never shown to anyone. Any questions?" No one moved. "All right, well, I guess that's it for today, then."

Everyone got up and started walking away, talking about what songs they were going to do. I was walking with Anna, who was talking about the pros and cons of "Defying Gravity" and "Don't Cry For Me Argentina", when Matthew came up next to me. "Know what song you're going to sing?" he asked.

I did, but I didn't want to tell him that. "Not yet. You?"

"Nope. So... you uh..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Anna had stopped talking and was now hanging onto our every word. Great. "You know... maybe want to hang out some time? Like, a date?"

I was so floored that all I could manage was, "Sure." Then with more confidence, I added, "But not tonight. I have to go to my mom's." Well, it wasn't a lie. I really was going to Santana's house.

"But isn't Kurt your dad?" Crap. Did he already know? I nodded tentatively. "Isn't he... you know..." he lowered his voice, "gay?"

I laughed. "Yeah. It was one of those things. You know, two people get married, one figures out they're gay, and they separate." I said it as if it were completely normal/true.

"Oh, okay," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Well, see you around."

I waved and walked away, ignoring Anna's "what the hell was that?" look. I'd tell Matthew the truth... eventually.

But right now, I just wanted to have fun and find out who Elizabeth was.

**Was that too long? Too lame? Good? Bad? Cute? What was your favorite part? Your least favorite?**

**Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**So I don't really have anything to say besides I can't wait for "Born This Way" tonight. I've got my tissues handy already haha. So yeah...**

**Oh, and I always forget these disclaimer things. So I do not own anything other the plot and any characters you don't recognize. Seriously, these things are stupid haha. If I was Ryan Murphy, would I seriously be sitting here writing fan fictions about _Glee_? No... I would be out writing actual episodes of _Glee_.**

The next day in glee club, Mr. Schue asked if anyone was ready to perform their song. Ian raised his hand. "Great, Ian."

"Uh... actually, I'm Gabe," Ian replied and I held back a giggle. They were always doing this, pretending to be the other and screwing with people's heads (they'd gotten the idea from Fred and George Weasley in _Harry Potter_).

"Oh, sorry, Gabe," Mr. Schue apologized. "You two just look so alike..."

Daddy K looked at him, his brow furrowed. "Can you come here a minute, _Gabe_?"

"Sure thing," Ian replied cheerfully, oblivious to the fact that his cover was about to be blown. Daddy K cupped Ian's chin in his hand and studied his face closely for a minute.

"You're Ian," he stated simply.

"How'd you know?"

"Well for one thing, you've done this a million times since you were six. It gets tiring, Adrian. And second..." here he smiled. "Gabe's eyes are darker." He released Ian's face and stepped back.

"You suck," Ian mumbled, hanging his head and walking to stand in front of the piano, where a guitar stood on a stand, waiting for him. He picked it up and said, "This one's for you, Charlotte," he said, looking straight at his girlfriend, whom he'd been dating for two years.

_Darling I have been waiting all of my life_  
><em>For you<em>  
><em>Darkness, I don't need the sun cause you are the light<em>  
><em>In my view<em>  
><em>There's no such thing as worry or doubt<em>  
><em>As long as you are right here dear<em>

_My heart has spoke_  
><em>The words that it told me<em>  
><em>Is that loving you is easy<em>  
><em>Ohh loving you is easy<em>  
><em>Fell for the sky<em>  
><em>I should come crashing down<em>  
><em>I'll be your shield<em>  
><em>I'll keep you safe from harm<em>  
><em>Loving you<em>  
><em>Cause loving you is easy<em>

_Someday the two of us will sit at the edge of the sea_  
><em>Just you and me.<em>  
><em>Holding our memories close counting the shells on the beach.<em>  
><em>You are the one that I will always hold<em>  
><em>Till the day I grow old.<em>

_My heart has spoke_  
><em>The words that it told me<em>  
><em>Is that loving you is easy<em>  
><em>Loving you is easy<em>  
><em>Ohh loving you is easy<em>  
><em>If ever the sky<em>  
><em>Should come crashing down<em>  
><em>I'll be your shield<em>  
><em>I'll keep you safe from harm<em>

_Cause loving you, loving you is easy.. _

_Darling I have been waiting all of my life_  
><em>For you<em>

Even I was stunned by his performance and I'd been hearing him sing since he could talk. It was just so... so romantic that it made me want to cry. And not many guys could pull off a girl's song, but Ian did it beautifully. Apparently Charlotte agreed with me because she jumped from her seat on the risers and practically attacked Ian's face. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground. "Okay, okay, break it up you two," Mr. Schue said. Ian and Charlotte broke apart, not in the least abashed. "That was great, Ian. Like, really amazing. I didn't know you had that in you." Of course he didn't. Ian almost always sang duets with either Charlotte or Gabe and those were never as stripped down as that song was.

"Thanks, Mr. Schue," Ian said, taking Charlotte's hand and leading her back to their seats.

"All right. Is anyone else..." Mr. Schue stopped, having been cut off by a cellphone ringing.

"Hello?" Daddy K said, answering the call. "Yes, that's me..." He swallowed hard and his eyes went wide. "What? How?" Tears were falling form his eyes now and he was doing nothing to stop them. "Okay... Yes, of course. I-I'll be right there." Now I was scared. Was something wrong with Grandpa Burt? I know he had a bad heart, but his medicine was supposed to keep him from having another heart attack.

"Kurt?" Mr. Schue tried to put his hand on Daddy K's shoulder, but he shrugged of the touch. "Are you okay?"

He started to nod, but then shook his head. "I - I have to go." Ian, Gabe, and I all started to rise out of our seats, but Daddy K stopped us. "No. You guys... stay, okay? Everything... everything's fine." I could tell everything was anything but fine, but we sat down anyway. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but slung his bag over his shoulder and rushed out of the room.

"What the hell?" Gabe said as I turned around to look at them. Their faces bore identical expressions of horror and fear, which I'm sure mirrored my own.

"You don't think..." Anna said, her voice shaking. I knew that she was thinking that it was Grandpa Burt, too.

"I don't know."

"Are you guys okay? Do you need to be excused?" Mr. Schue asked. All four of nodded and we all stood up and started to walk away when we heard:

"Hey, Thing One and Thing Two!"

Gabe and Ian turned around. "Not now, Carver," Ian growled.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot... you have to go comfort your fag of a father. Don't let me keep you," Jason Carver - the biggest bully in school - said, dismissing us with a wave of his hand.

"Jason!" Mr. Schue snapped. But the damage had been done.

"Don't _ever _say that word _again_," Gabe hissed.

"Why not? It's the truth, isn't it? Your father is a no-good fag."

"That's it!" Gabe and Ian shouted and charged Carver, knocking him out of his chair. Before anyone could stop them, they were punching every inch of him they could reach. Nobody moved for a minute, but then Matthew and Mr. Schue ran up and pulled them off of him. "Call my dad that again," Ian yelled, "and I'll kill you!" He struggled against Matthew's hold while Gabe did the same with Mr. Schue.

"Gabe! Ian! Knock it off!" Mr. Schue said sharply. "I know you're upset, but that isn't an excuse to resort to violence."

"Uh... Mr. Schue?" I turned towards the door. Santana stood there, a cellphone in her hand. She looked like she'd been crying. I knew immeditaley that Daddy K had called her. "Can I... I mean, I need to talk to Liz, Gabe, and Ian. If... if that's okay." Okay, something was really wrong. Santana was always so sure of herself - I coundn't even recall a time when I'd heard her stumble over her words the way she was now. Mr. Schue nodded and released Gabe, nodding at Matthew to do the same with Ian. I followed Santana out into the hallway.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but..."

**Oh, I'm so evil haha! Now, I'm gonna need... let's say, five reviews before I update again! And if anyone has a guess as to what happened, feel free to let me know.**

**Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**OMGlee! "Born This Way" was amazing... I really needed those tissues haha.**

**Oh, and I guess I'm not as awesome as I thought I was, considering almost everyone guessed what made Kurt so upset. **

**WARNING: This chapter contains sadness of epic proportions so get them tissues ready!**

Daddy B was in a coma. A deer had jumped out in front of his car, he swerved to avoid it, lost control of the car, and rolled down a hill. According to Santana, he'd gotten pretty banged up and broken a few ribs. She also said that he'd smashed his head against the window really hard so the doctors put him in a medical coma because they were afraid of swelling or bleeding. She said the coma was just a precaution, that they wanted to do everything they could to make sure Daddy B was okay, but I didn't believe her. Somewhere deep inside my soul I knew that something was really wrong. I didn't want it to be, but I just knew.

I walked back into the choir room to get my bag so Santana could take me to the hospital. I felt like I was underwater - I could see everything around me but it was all cloudy (but that was probably because of the tears) and everyone's voices seemed muddled and faraway. Behind me, I could hear Santana telling Mr. Schue what had happened. Words like "Blaine", "coma", and "not good" jumped out at me, but they were disjointed and I couldn't glean any meaning from them. I grabbed my bag from next my chair and was about to walk away when someone grabbed my arm. Thinking it was Anna, I turned and started to say, "My dad is..."

"He's upset. I know," Matthew said. "But I'm worried about _you_, Liz. Are you okay?" I shook my head. "Is there anything I can do?" _Make Daddy B better_. Knowing he couldn't do that, I shook my head again. "Okay." He released my arm. "Here." He handed me a piece of paper with numbers scribbled on it. "If you, you know, need someone to talk to... give me a call, okay?" I nodded, not telling him that the only person I wanted to talk to was unable to talk back.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and followed Santana out to her car, where I crammed myself into the backseat between my brothers, crying.

* * *

><p>When we got to the hospital, Santana walked up to the front desk and asked which room Daddy B was in. "He's in the ICU," the lady replied, "so only immediate family is allowed."<p>

"These are his children."

"And you are..." I wanted to strangle her. Who cared if Santana was related us or if she was just some random lady off the street? I just wanted to see my father.

"Their mother," Santana said in clipped tones. "Now just tell me what room he's in."

"4553," the lady replied.

"Thank you," Santana answered coolly. "Come on, kids." We all scurried behind her to the elevators.

When the doors opened to the ICU floor, I was hit with why I was deathly afraid of hospitals. Everywhere you turned there was a person, each one sicker than the last. The room started spinning and I leaned against the wall for support. Then I heard his voice. _It's okay, baby. Hospitals are supposed to make you better... They're good places._

_Daddy B?_

_I'm here, Lizzie, I'm here._

_I'm scared._

_Don't be. I'm going to be just fine. I need you to stay strong, though. Can you do that for me?_

_I - I think so... I love you._

_I love you, too, baby. I love you, too._

"This way guys. Liz, are you okay?" Santana asked, snapping me violently back to the present.

"Uh... yeah. I just really hate hospitals." Santana put her arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. It might not have been the touch I wanted, but it comforted me nonetheless and I allowed her to lead me down the hall to the very last door, which was slightly ajar. The sign next to it read _Hummel-Anderson, Blaine _and the name of his doctor below it. Gabe was about to push the door open, when the sound of someone talking stopped him.

"Please wake up, Blaine, please." It was Daddy K. "Just - just squeeze my hand." Silence. "Please, baby. I told you that I'd never say goodbye to you. Please don't make me break that promise. I love you, Blaine. Just, please, open your eyes," he begged and then I heard him crying. My heart ached and I couldn't stand it any longer. I pushed past the others and rushed into the room. I stopped in my tracks when I saw Daddy K leaning over a small figure on the bed. When I realized the small figure was Daddy B, the tears came harder. He looked so fragile, like he could blow away at any moment.

"Daddy," I choked out, not knowing which one I was talking to. Daddy K turned around and held out his arms. I ran into his embrace until I had no more tears left. When I'd cried myself dry, I lifted my heavy head and looked around. Ian was on the other side of the bed, holding Daddy B's hand. Santana was leaning against the wall, part of the family, yet removed.

But Gabe broke my heart. Out of the three of us, he was easily the closest to Daddy B. When we were little, Daddy B was the one Gabe always ran to when he was hurt, sick, or sad. The story goes that his first word was "Dada" and he'd looked right at Daddy B when he'd said it, smiling. Over the years, their bond had only gotten stronger and, because of this, Gabe was curled at the end of the bed, looking so much like the little boy who just wanted his daddy to hold him and tell him everything was okay.

I tore my eyes away from Gabe and chanced a glance at Daddy B's face. I don't know why I did it, because it I knew it was going to make me lose it all over again. But he looked... normal. Aside from the bruises on his face and the oxygen machine that was breathing for him, he could have been sleeping. I pushed a curl out of his closed eyes because I knew that it annoyed him and whispered, "Come on, Daddy B, you can do it. Just open your eyes." He didn't so much as stir and a tear dropped from my eye.

The nurse walked in. "Sorry, guys," she apologized kindly. "Visiting hours are over."

"I'm not going anywhere," Daddy K stated, not taking his eyes off Daddy B. His voice was lifeless.

"I understand. But..." she eyed the rest of us. (Translation: I'm sorry that your dad may be dying, but this hospital has lame-ass rules and you have to go home now.) Ian got the hint and stormed out of the room without a backward glance. Santana followed him, pausing only to give Daddy K a kiss on the cheek. I hesitated, but got up and was almost to the door when I heard the nurse say, "Come on, sweetie, you can't stay here."

"Yes, I can," Gabe moaned. I turned to see him still curled in a ball at the end of the bed, refusing to get up, even with the nurse gently shaking him.

"Gabe," Daddy K said softly. "Go, okay? If anything changes, you'll be the first one I'll call."

"Promise?" he whimpered, sitting up.

"I promise," Daddy K vowed. Gabe, seeming convinced, shakily got to his feet and I helped him out of the room, knowing that he wouldn't be able to support himself.

As the four of us walked away, I heard Daddy K start to pray, even though he didn't believe in God. I wanted to collapse right there (my family was falling apart so why shouldn't I?) but then I heard his voice again. _Be strong, Princess. Everything's going to be okay._

I would do it. I would be strong.

For my daddy.

**Are you crying? Well, are you? Don't worry, Blaine isn't going to die... or is he? Guess you'll have to review to find out! Oh, and I'm going to get back into the whole "Liz trying to hide her two dads" thing in the next chapter. This idea just came to me when I heard a certain line in "Born This Way" (first person to spot it gets a virtual cookie!).**

**Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry it's been so long! But I'm back now, so you guys can breathe a sigh of relief. ha-ha. Anyways...**

**Rachel: Stop it.  
>Kurt: Stop what?<br>Rachel: What you're doing is wrong. Sam is cute, but he's not worth losing Blaine over.  
>Kurt: Oh, how I've missed your insanity.<strong>

**Sorry, I just loved that bit. (PS: Did anyone else notice the giant picture of Blaine in Kurt's locker? I thought that was adorable)**

The next morning when I woke up, it took me a minute to realize why I wasn't in my own room. Then it all came flooding back to me and I wanted to hide under the covers, curl into a ball, and never come out. But then I remembered the promise I'd made to Daddy B about being strong, so I forced myself to get up. I pulled on jeans and a t-shirt and threw my unruly curls into a ponytail. Forgoing make-up (did it really matter what I looked like?) I went downstairs, only to greeted by the sympathetic faces of my grandparents.

"Oh, Liz!" Grandma Carole said, as if she was surprised that I was out of bed. "We just thought that you'd want to stay home today."

"No," I said, a little too forcibly. They looked at me strangely. "I mean, I have to go. I prom... I have a big test today," I was quick to correct. I couldn't tell them that I'd promised my comatose father that I would be strong for him. They'd have me committed.

"I'm sure your teacher would understand..."

"Carole," Grandpa Burt cut in. "If she wants to go, let her go. Trust me, she's exactly like Kurt. Once he makes his mind up, there's no changing it. She's not going to budge on this. Right, Liz?" he added, glancing at me.

"Right," I affirmed.

"Okay..." Grandma Carole said, still unconvinced that I was able to go to school. "But if you need anything, anything at all, we're just a phone call away."

"Got it." She smiled at me and went to go see if Gabe and Ian were going to accompany me to school. As she went up the stairs, I sat at the table and put my head on my arms, exhausted. Maybe I should... no, I had to go to school.

"He's going to be okay," Grandpa Burt consoled, putting his hand my shoulder. "It's not nearly as bad as it may seem right now." When he said that, I believed him. Grandpa Burt had, after all, been in a coma himself once - a real one, not a medical one like Daddy B was.

"Thanks, Grandpa Burt," I said, raising my head.

"Anytime."

Fifteen minutes later, and I was in Grandpa Burt's car with Anna and both of my brothers, on our way to school. As we all climbed out in front of the main entrance, I started to have a change of heart. Why was I here? I needed to be at the hospital. What if he woke up and none of his kids were there? He'd think we didn't love him. But it was too late. Grandpa Burt had already pulled away. So I turned my back on his quickly disappearing car, intent on getting in the building without any distractions.

"Liz? You sure you can do this? I can call somebody to come get you, if you want," Anna said softly, already reaching for her phone.

"No, I'll be okay, Anna. Seriously," I added, catching sight of her dubious face.

She was about to open her mouth to say something, but somebody calling my name stopped her. "Liz!" they called again and I turned to see Matthew rushing towards us. Reaching us, he said, "So what happened to you yesterday?"

"Family...family emergency."

"Anything I can do to help?" I shook my head, but he slung his arm over my shoulders anyway, like I was already his or something. Normally, the brashness and Neanderthal-ness of the action would have annoyed me, but today was anything but normal. So I leaned into him as he led me into the school, glad to know there was someone willing to catch me.

When I opened my locker, a folded piece of notebook paper fluttered to the floor. Thinking it was just loose notes, I bent down to pick it up. I unfolded it to determine what folder I needed to replace it in, but as I read the words on the page, my breath caught in my throat. In neat, block-style handwriting I didn't recognize, someone had written:

_Hope your fag father dies._

I started to cry and Matthew snatched the paper out of my hand. It was quiet for a beat as he read it. Then he said, "God, this is disgusting. I'll never understand why people are so homophobic." I heard him crumple the paper in his fast. "Liz, you okay?" I shook my head. "Hey, don't listen to these assholes. There's absolutely nothing wrong with Kurt being gay. _They're _the ones who should die for saying stuff like this." I couldn't tell him that that wasn't why I was crying - that they were talking about my other dad. Because that would mean admitting that I'd lied to him and I think I was in too deep for truth-telling at that point.

"I - I guess so," I said shakily, wiping away my tears.

Matthew smiled down at me and tossed the hurtful scrap of paper into the nearest trash can. He anchored me to his side and I clung to him, not realizing how unstable I'd become. "Where's your first class? I'll walk you there."

* * *

><p>Matthew - who had been walking me to and from class all day, probably making himself late more than once - and I walked into the choir room and I took the seat in between my brothers. After the day that I'd had, it was a relief to be with my family, in a place that I loved. Julia Clark walked in the room and stopped right in front of me. "Hi, Liz," she said sweetly, which shocked me. 1) Julia Clark was a capital B Bitch and 2) I didn't think she'd even known my name. "Saw you read my little note. Did you like it?"<p>

"That was you?" She just smiled and went to go sit next to a girl named Natalie.

"What was that all about?" Ian asked. I shook my head, not wanting to push Gabe - who was perched precariously close to the edge of the cliff - over the edge. Ian looked at my strangely, but let it slide.

Mr. Schue walked in the room and explained how Daddy K wasn't going to be with us for a while (he adamantly refused to leave the hospital, in other words). The he asked if anyone had a song prepared. Gabe raised his hand half-heartedly, as if he really didn't want to, but some outside force was making him. "Great, Gabe."

"I was going to do 'I'm Too Sexy'," he tried to joke, the words falling limply from his lips. "But then... something happened and I..." he shook his head, trying to organize his thoughts. "Well, I changed my mind. So it might be a little... a little rough." He closed his mouth, having given up trying to form a coherent sentence. The music to a song I didn't know started and then Gabe sang:

_I remember Daddy's hands, folded silently in prayer._  
><em>And reaching out to hold me, when I had a nightmare.<em>  
><em>You could read quite a story, in the callouses and lines.<em>  
><em>Years of work and worry had left their mark behind. <em>  
><em>I remember Daddy's hands, how they held my Mama tight,<em>  
><em>And patted my back, for something done right.<em>  
><em>There are things that I've forgotten, that I loved about the man,<em>  
><em>But I'll always remember the love in Daddy's hands.<em>

_Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin'._  
><em>Daddy's hands, were hard as steel when I'd done wrong.<em>  
><em>Daddy's hands, weren't always gentle <em>  
><em>But I've come to understand.<em>  
><em>There was always love in Daddy's hands.<em>

_I remember Daddy's hands, working 'til they bled._  
><em>Sacrificed unselfishly, just to keep us all fed.<em>  
><em>If I could do things over, I'd live my life again.<em>  
><em>And never take for granted the love in Daddy's hands.<em>

_Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin'._  
><em>Daddy's hands, were hard as steel when I'd done wrong.<em>  
><em>Daddy's hands, weren´t always gentle <em>  
><em>But I've come to understand.<em>  
><em>There was always love in Daddy's hands.<em>

_Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin'._  
><em>Daddy's hands, were hard as steel when I'd done wrong.<em>  
><em>Daddy's hands, weren't always gentle <em>  
><em>But I've come to understand.<em>  
><em>There was always love ...<em>  
><em>In Daddy's hands.<em>

He finished, tears flowing freely down his face, and Ian rushed to help him before he collapsed. Ian set him back in his seat gently and I patted his curly head, letting him cry into my shoulder. Everyone clapped, unsure of how to react. Gabe was usually the tough-as-nails football player - the guy who never let people know what he was feeling (a trait, Daddy K said, he'd picked up from our uncle Puck). So to see him crying like a little kid was probably unnerving.

"Thank you, Gabe. That was... Yes, Julia?" Mr. Schue said, glancing towards Julia, whose hand had just shot up in the air.

"Mr. Schuester," she said in that "I'm an angel, so I'm better than you" voice she usually used, "I don't think that Gabe fully understood the assignment. Weren't we supposed to sing a song about who we were? As in, something to let everyone get to know us? I just don't feel that that song fulfilled the requirements."

"Maybe you'll change your mind when my fist connects with your face," I shot at her turning around to glare at her. She didn't understand the connection that Gabe had with Daddy B. To him, that song _was _who he was, because Daddy B was who he was.

"Liz!" Mr. Schue said curtly. "That's enough. You, too, Julia." I watched the triumphant look slide off her face. "I think that Gabe understood the assignment perfectly. Right, Gabe?" He nodded, the movement so faint that it was almost as if he hadn't. "Well, I think that's good for today..." He looked at me and the twins and I was grateful for him understanding that we just needed to get Gabe to the hospital. "Unless anyone has anything they want to share." No one moved. I think they all noticed that Gabe was in no condition to continue. "All right, so I guess that's it." Gabe got up and bolted, leaving Ian to get his stuff.

Ian and Anna left together, which left Matthew to walk me out front to wait for Grandpa Burt. "So what's wrong with Gabe? Is your dad, like, sick or something?"

"Yeah, something like that," I replied honestly.

"Well, tell him I hope he feels better. I've seen some of the old competition videos - we really need his help if we're gonna make it all the way to Nationals again." I was confused for a millisecond, but then remembered that he thought I only had one dad.

"I will." We walked out of the main entrance and I saw Grandpa Burt's car idling by the curb, everyone already in and waiting for me. "Well, there's my grandpa. Gotta go."

"Okay." He kissed my cheek so quickly I might have imagined it. "I'll text you later."

"Okay." Then I walked away and climbed into the front seat of the car.

As I buckled my seat belt, Grandpa Burt said, "Someone special, Liz?"

"Just a friend," I replied, but I knew my face (which felt like it was on fire) told otherwise.

"Yeah," he laughed skeptically. "You know, Kurt said that once upon a time, too." And with that, he turned the key and drove in the direction of the hospital.

**Did you guys laugh? Cry? Go "aww"? Get angry? All of the above? Feel some other emotion that I didn't mention?**

**Oh... and before I go, I wanted to add a few more of my fave quotes from "Rumours"**

**Artie (about Sam): Well, Quinn and Kurt are both here, so we know he's not doing the dirty. (Kurt's face was priceless).**

**Sam: Santana told me to never talk to you alone because you would try to steal all of my gold.**

**There's a milion more... what are your faves?**

**Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I love you all so much... can I say that? Yeah... I love you guys! Every single one of you is awesome! Anyways...**

**I've decided to make this like _Glee_, so... Here's what you missed on _Just Me_...**

**Blaine's in a coma and everyone is really upset about it - especially Kurt and Gabe. Someone left a really mean note in Liz's locker that made her cry. Turns out it was Julia Clark, who is a capital B Bitch. Gabe sang a song for Blaine that was sad - like really, really sad. Probably one of the saddest songs ever. Oh... and Liz is saying that Matthew's just a friend, but no one believes her.**

**And that's what you missed!**

**So how was that? Could you hear it in that guy's voice? ha ha**

That night in my room at my grandparents' house, I was absentmindedly strumming my guitar, trying to work on my song for glee. But I just kept flashing back to the hospital. Eventually, I gave up on the song and laid back on my pillow, closing my eyes. The scene played on my eyelids like a movie.

_There was no change. Anyone with eyes could see that he was exactly the same as he was when we'd left yesterday. When we closed the door behind us, Daddy K raised his head. When he saw Grandpa Burt, he choked out, "Daddy." Suddenly he wasn't forty years old anymore. He wasn't a father, or a husband, or the Fine Arts Director at McKinley. He was the little boy at his mom's funeral, needing his daddy to hold his hand. _

We'd stayed until visiting hours were over again and Grandpa Burt had to practically carry Gabe out of the hospital. But we were home now and Ian was blankly staring at the TV downstairs and Gabe had long since cried himself to sleep. And me? Well, I was wide awake, too keyed up to even try and sleep. I picked up my guitar, determined to practice before the sun came up. But then my phone buzzed and I abandoned my guitar again to reach for it. _One new message form Matthew, _the screen read. I opened it quickly.

_Hey. U ok? Hows ur dad?_

I texted back: _Hes good. the dr said he should be ok in a few days. _Oh, how I wished that was true.

_Thats good. so... ive got a surprise 4 u._

_rly? what?_

_u'll have 2 wait 4 glee 2morro._

_plz tell me!_

_nope :) well g2g. my moms yelling at me 2 go 2 bed._

_k. nite_

_nite, liz :)_

I replaced my phone on my nightstand and flopped back on my bed. Even with all the shit going on in my life, I was amazed to find that there was something that could make me smile.

As I finally fell asleep, I wondered if this is what love felt like.

* * *

><p>The next day was pretty much the same as the day before, with one exception.<p>

I had to go to the bathroom.

Now that doesn't seem like such a big deal, but what happened in the bathroom was bad:

So I was just finishing washing my hands when I heard the door swing open. Out of instinct, I turned my head to see Julia Clark walk straight to the mirror to reapply her fifty pounds of make-up. "So, Liz," she said. "How's your... dad?" She said it as if he wasn't really my dad. "Is he still unconscious?"

"What the hell is your problem?" I shot at her, trying to not to let her see how much her words stung.

"Stay away from Matthew," she replied with venom in her voice.

"What?" The sudden change of topic had me feeling like I had whiplash.

"Are you stupid? I said, stay away from Matthew. Or else I'll let your little secret slip." I tried to show no emotion, but know I failed. "Oh, poor baby," she cooed, putting her make-up back in its bag. "Stay away from him, bitch," she warned before strutting out of the bathroom. I followed her, feeling like a beaten puppy, tail between my legs and everything.

Matthew was on the other side of the door, waiting for me. "Hey, what's wrong?" He looked down the hall where Julia had just disappeared around the corner. "Were you talking to Julia in there?" I nodded. "Let me guess. She told you to stay away from me." Among other things. But all I did was nod again. Matthew started laughing.

"This is so not funny!" I sad, slapping his arm.

"Sorry," he gasped, composing himself. "It's just that Julia's older brother Drew is my best friend."

"I'm not following."

"Julia's been obsessed with me for three years. At first it was kind of cute, but now it's just really annoying." He pushed his blonde hair out of his eyes and smiled down at me. "You have nothing to worry about." I smiled and buried my face in his chest. He held me tight for a minute, then said, "Come on. We're gonna be late for glee." Oh, right. My surprise! I grabbed his hand and practically dragged him to the choir room.

We took our usual seats with Anna, the twins, Charlotte, and Matthew's friend Andy Austin. (Hey, I think I have a posse. How cool is that?) Mr. Schuester was about to call the club to order when Daddy K walked into the room, looking a little haggard but functioning. "Kurt?" Mr. Schue said. "Are you... okay to be here?"

"Yeah. Well, probably not, but my dad is forcing me to. He says it'll be good for me." The look on his face told me that while he was here in body, his heart and mind were ten miles away in the ICU of Sacred Heart Hospital.

"Well, it's good to have you back," Mr. Schue said. Turning back to us, he said, "Who has a song for us?" Anna's hand shot up and a littany of show tunes ran through my mind.

She hopped off the risers and said, "The song I will be doing is 'Bitch' by Meredith Brooks." Whoa, where'd that come from? "Now, I'm not saying I'm a bitch... Say nothing, Adrian Cain Hummel-Anderson." Ian slumped back into his seat. "It's a song about how there is more than one side to me. Hit it," she said to the piano guy, Brad (yeah, I'm surprised he's still there, too. And, no, he still doesn't talk.)

_I hate the world today_  
><em>You're so good to me<em>  
><em>I know but I can't change<em>  
><em>Tried to tell you<em>  
><em>But you look at me like maybe<em>  
><em>I'm an angel underneath<em>  
><em>Innocent and sweet<em>  
><em>Yesterday I cried<em>  
><em>Must have been relieved to see<em>  
><em>The softer side<em>  
><em>I can understand how you'd be so confused<em>  
><em>I don't envy you<em>  
><em>I'm a little bit of everything<em>  
><em>All rolled into one<em>

_I'm a bitch, I'm a lover_  
><em>I'm a child, I'm a mother<em>  
><em>I'm a sinner, I'm a saint<em>  
><em>I do not feel ashamed<em>  
><em>I'm your hell, I'm your dream<em>  
><em>I'm nothing in between<em>  
><em>You know you wouldn't want it any other way<em>

_So take me as I am_  
><em>This may mean<em>  
><em>You'll have to be a stronger man<em>  
><em>Rest assured that<em>  
><em>When I start to make you nervous<em>  
><em>And I'm going to extremes<em>  
><em>Tomorrow I will change<em>  
><em>And today won't mean a thing<em>

_I'm a bitch, I'm a lover_  
><em>I'm a child, I'm a mother<em>  
><em>I'm a sinner, I'm a saint<em>  
><em>I do not feel ashamed<em>  
><em>I'm your hell, I'm your dream<em>  
><em>I'm nothing in between<em>  
><em>You know you wouldn't want it any other way<em>

_Just when you think, you got me figured out_  
><em>The season's already changing<em>  
><em>I think it's cool, you do what you do<em>  
><em>And don't try to save me<em>

_I'm a bitch, I'm a lover_  
><em>I'm a child, I'm a mother<em>  
><em>I'm a sinner, I'm a saint<em>  
><em>I do not feel ashamed<em>  
><em>I'm your hell, I'm your dream<em>  
><em>I'm nothing in between<em>  
><em>You know you wouldn't want it any other way<em>

_I'm a bitch, I'm a tease_  
><em>I'm a goddess on my knees<em>  
><em>When you hurt, when you suffer<em>  
><em>I'm your angel undercover<em>  
><em>I've been numb, I'm revived<em>  
><em>Can't say I'm not alive<em>  
><em>You know I wouldn't want it any other way<em>

She finished and everyone applauded (Andy, I noted, more than anyone else. Interesting) and Mr. Schue said, "That was... unexpected, Anna. Guess you have a little bit of your dad in you, after all."

"But I can dance," she added and everyone who knew the joke laughed.

As she sat back down, Mr. Schue opened his mouth to say something, but Matthew cut him off. "Mr. Schue? Can I go next?" Mr. Schue nodded and gave him the floor. He picked up a guitar and said, "I think the song speaks for itself," before playing:

_The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful _  
><em>Stop me and steal my breath <em>  
><em>Emeralds from mountains thrust toward the sky <em>  
><em>Never revealing their depth <em>  
><em>Tell me that we belong together <em>  
><em>Dress it up with the trappings of love <em>  
><em>I'll be captivated <em>  
><em>I'll hang from your lips <em>  
><em>Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above<em>

_I'll be your crying shoulder _  
><em>I'll be your love suicide <em>  
><em>and I'll be better when I'm older <em>  
><em>I'll be the greatest fan of your life<em>

_Rain falls angry on the tin roof _  
><em>As we lie awake in my bed <em>  
><em>You're my survival, you're my living proof <em>  
><em>My love is alive not dead <em>  
><em>Tell me that we belong together <em>  
><em>Dress it up with the trappings of love <em>  
><em>I'll be captivated I'll hang from your lips <em>  
><em>Instead of the gallows of heartache, that hang from above <em>

_I'll be your crying shoulder _  
><em>I'll be your love suicide <em>  
><em>and I'll be better when I'm older <em>  
><em>I'll be the greatest fan of your life<em>

_I've been dropped out, burned up, fought my way back from the dead _  
><em>Tuned in, turned on, Remembered the things that you said<em>

_I'll be your crying shoulder _  
><em>I'll be your love suicide <em>  
><em>and I'll be better when I'm older <em>  
><em>I'll be the greatest fan of your life<em>

_I'll be the greatest fan of your life_

Instead of sitting back down, he turned to Daddy K. _What the hell was he doing?_ I thought. "I know you don't know me and I know this is a really hard time for you and you family, but I really like your daughter. Like, more than I've ever liked any girl. And I just wanted to ask your permission to date her." Was he seriusly doing this? I thought stuff like this only happened in movies. "I promise to respect her and treat her like a princess," he added.

"Sure," Daddy K said weakly, but the smile on his face told me that he meant it.

"Thank you." He sat back down next to me and I turned to look at him.

"What was that?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I just wanted to do it right." He brushed a curl that had escaped my ponytail out of my eyes. "You're special, Liz. And now," he cupped my cheek in his hand, "you're mine." Before his lips met mine, I saw Julia glaring daggers at me.

Oh, shit.

**Oh, my God! That was probably the longest thing I've ever written. But I just couldn't find any place to really cut it off. So anyways... **

**And next time...**

**Julia: Liz! How's your dad?... No, no, I mean your _other _dad.**

**Liz: Matthew?  
>Matthew: Yeah?<br>Liz: There's something I need to tell you.**

**Anna: He does not.  
>Liz: He totally likes you.<strong>

**Rachel: Liz, we need to talk...**

**Kurt: Blaine...**

**Want to find out what happens? You know what to do!**

**Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**So here's what you missed on _Just Me_**

**Julia told Liz to stay away from Matthew or she was going to tell her secret. But it's okay because Matthew said that Julia is crazy and obsessed with him. Anna sang a song about being a bitch, which is weird because it seems like Julia is the real bitch. Kurt's back at McKinley, but only because Burt is forcing him. Isn't he a little old to be doing what his dad tells him? Anyway... Matthew sang a totally sweet song to Liz and then he asked Kurt's permission to date her. Which is totally cheesy, but it seemed to work because he and Liz are officially a couple.**

**And that's what you missed!**

I had a boyfriend. A real, live boyfriend. A totally hot, super-sweet, older boyfriend who seemed to really like me (or the me that he saw, anyway). It was like a dream come true, one of those fairy tales that you think are too good to be true. But, of course, my euphoria was short lived.

As Matthew and I were walking out to his car, I heard someone yell my name. "Liz! Wait up!"

"What do you want, Julia?" I asked, exasperated. I just wanted to get out of there.

"I just wanted to ask... how's your dad?" she responded innocently, sugar coating the venom in her voice.

"He's fine," I said confidently. Wow, I was getting a little too good at this lying thing. "I mean, you just saw him, didn't you?"

"No, no. I mean your _other _dad," she emphasized, looking at Matthew to gauge his reaction. I did the same and saw that he looked kind of confused, but also kind of pissed.

"I - I don't know what you're talking about," I said, my confidence wavering.

"Oh, I think you do."

"Enough, Julia," Matthew cut in. "Now, I don't know what you're talking about and I don't care. All I know is that you need to back off. You and me, we'll never be together. 1) because I'm dating Liz and 2) because I don't really like you all that much. You're kind of a bitch." She recoiled like he'd slapped her.

"I see," she said, her voice shooting through two octaves. "Well, I guess I'll just... go, then." She started to walk away, but stopped and did a 180. "This isn't over, Elizabeth. I hope you know that."

"I'm not scared of you, Julia," I said, shocking myself with the validity of the statement.

"You should be. I can _ruin _you."

"Just get out of here, Julia," Matthew said, waving her off. She huffed and stormed off. Matthew smiled down at me. "What did I tell you?She's totally crazy."

"Yeah, crazy," I agreed weakly. He kissed the top of my head and led me out to his car. The entire time, I was thinking about how hard my little charade was becoming. Sooner or later, the truth was going to come out.

Then what?

* * *

><p>Anna and I were sitting in her room later that night, talking about what had happened in glee and she updated me on Daddy B's condition (Daddy K had convinced me to go out with Matthew - he said he'd call if something happened. I hadn't wanted to, but then realized that little had probably changed).<p>

"So what about you?" I cut in before she could ask what kissing Matthew was like for the umpteenth time (it's amazing, in case you wanted to know). "Is there anyone you like?"

"Well..." she mumbled, staring at her lap. "Matthew's friend Andy is kind of cute."

"Really?" She nodded, still staring at her lap. "You should go for it. I have it on good authority that he totally likes you."

"He does not," she protested.

"He totally likes you," I repeated. "Come on, Anna. We're best friends, and family to boot. Would I lie to you?"

"I - I guess not," she conceded. "You really like he likes me?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die."

Just then, Anna's twelve-year-old sister Dylan came into the room. "Anna, Daddy wants to see you. It's some... car thing, I think." The thing about Anna was that what you saw wasn't necessarily what you got. She dressed in designer clothes and always looked like she just stepped off the runway. But she also fixed cars and watched football/baseball/whatever other sport happened to be on with her dad. She was a complex person.

"Okay," she said, sliding off the bed. "Thanks, Dyl." The sisters walked out of the room together, leaving me alone.

I, however, wasn't alone for long. "Liz?"

"Oh, hey, Aunt Rachel. What's up?"

She sat on the edge of the bed, smoothing her skirt as she did so. "Liz, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"Anna's told me that you've been acting sort of weird lately. And not just because Blaine's in the hospital," she added. "I mean, even before that."

"W-What's she been saying?" I was going to kill Anna for opening her fat mouth.

"Well, I don't know the details, but she basically told me that you've been... hiding the fact that you have two dads. Is that true?"

"Maybe," I mumbled, suddenly ashamed. Aunt Rachel had two dads, too, and she'd never hid it.

"Why, Liz?"

"Because..." I took a deep breath and the truth came spilling out. "Because I wanted to be normal. I thought that starting high school would be a clean slate because most of the kids wouldn't know me, you know?" She nodded, urging me to continue. "I guess I thought that people wouldn't accept me if they knew I had two dads. I just wanted to be normal," I repeated as the tears started. I looked at my lap to hide my face.

"Elizabeth Grace. Look at me." I looked up. "It doesn't matter if you have a mom and a dad, or two moms, or two dads, or two dads and a mom, or whatever. You, Liz, will never be normal. You know why?" I shook my head. "Because you're special. And sometimes being special is hard. But I learned a long time ago that what makes you unique - even if it's something you might want to change - is the best part about you." She shrugged. "So who cares if you call both of your parents Daddy? I do, too, and I turned out okay." I smiled because I knew she was right. "And if anyone has a problem with it, then... just tell them to fuck off." I laughed out of shock. Aunt Rachel _never _swore.

I hugged her. "Thanks, Aunt Rachel."

"You're welcome. I love you, Liz."

"I love you, too." And then I was alone again.

I knew what I had to do.

* * *

><p>The next day in glee, I volunteered to sing my song before Mr. Schue even asked. I didn't say anything about the song - I just sang.<p>

_I'm a ghost of a girl that you looked right past _  
><em>I'm a voice you didn't wanna hear <em>  
><em>I'm a page in a book that you read too fast <em>  
><em>But I'm still here <em>

_You never cared, never tried, never even asked _  
><em>Maybe I didn't wanna stay <em>  
><em>You shut your eyes, told your lies then you had your laugh <em>  
><em>And that's okay <em>

_Cause you don't know me _  
><em>You don't wanna know it's real <em>  
><em>And I'm not sorry <em>  
><em>For who I am, for what I feel <em>  
><em>Cause you don't know me <em>

_I got more on my mind than I ever told _  
><em>I got pain that you never felt <em>  
><em>I got the scars <em>  
><em>I can deal with it on my own <em>  
><em>I've got stories that I'll never tell <em>  
><em>But maybe its just as well <em>

_Cause you don't know me _  
><em>You don't wanna know it's real <em>  
><em>And I'm not sorry <em>  
><em>For who I am, for what I feel<em>  
><em>You don't know me <em>

_I'm strong, I'm a mess _  
><em>Altogether an emotional wreck <em>  
><em>I can scream, I can beg you to see I'm alive <em>  
><em>I'm awake, I'm unglued <em>  
><em>I'm not gonna break down, now <em>

_Cause you don't know me _  
><em>You don't wanna know it's real <em>  
><em>And I'm not sorry <em>

_Cause you don't know me _  
><em>You don't wanna know it's real <em>  
><em>And I'm not sorry <em>  
><em>For who I am, for what I feel <em>

_Cause you don't know me _  
><em>You don't wanna know it's real <em>  
><em>I'm not sorry <em>  
><em>For who I am, you don't understand <em>  
><em>Just how I feel <em>  
><em>You don't know me<em>

"Thank you," I said before sitting back down.

"What was that?" Matthew whispered in my ear.

"Later," I said, my voice as low as his.

A couple of other kids sang, including Julia (who sang the song "Too Cool" from that awful Disney movie _Camp Rock_. I had to hold back laughter) and then Daddy K's cellphone rang. "Dad?" he answered. _Oh, no, _I thought. _This is it. He's dead. _"What?... Yeah, of course. I'll be there in five minutes... Yes, you can time me if you want." He grabbed his stuff and motioned for me, Gabe, Ian, and Anna to follow him. "Come on, guys."

"Wait. Matthew?" I said, turning to look at my boyfriend.

"Yeah?"

"I have to tell you something. Well, actually, I need to _show _you something." I turned to Daddy K. "Can he come with us?" I wouldn't have asked, but Daddy K's voice hadn't sounded upset when he was talking to Grandpa Burt, so I didn't think it was anything too bad.

"Sure," Daddy K answered distractedly, as if he really wasn't there anymore.

"What's going on, Liz?"

I reached up and kissed him. "Be patient." Then I led him out to Daddy K's car.

Here goes nothing.

* * *

><p>"Why are we at the hospital?" he questioned so low that I could barely hear him.<p>

"Wait," was all I said in reply. I took his hand and followed my family down the familiar path to Daddy B's room.

Grandpa Burt was standing outside the doorway, waiting for us. "He's not awake, yet, Kurt. But the doctor said that - given the fact that he moved his hand and the improvement to his brain activity - it was only a matter of time. Maybe a few hours or so." Daddy K collapsed into Grandpa Burt's arms, crying. But these tears were different. They were tears of joy, untainted by sorrow.

Everyone went into the room and Matthew made to follow them, but I put a hand on his broad chest, stopping him. "I - I have a confession," I started.

"Let me guess. You're going to tell me that you lied. Kurt and Santana were never married and the person in that room is your other dad, Blaine. Right?"

I was floored. "How'd you know?"

Matthew laughed and cupped my chin in his hand, tilting my face up to look at him. "I'm on the football team with Gabe and Ian. I've _met _Blaine."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Better question: Why did you lie? Did you think I wouldn't like you because you have two dads or something?"

"Something like that."

"Well, guess what, baby. _Nothing _in this world could make me not like you. And," he added, "be thankful you have two dads. Some people don't even have one." Something in his voice made me want ask him to elaborate, but Daddy K's voice floating from inside the room stopped me.

"Blaine."

**How evil am I? Aw, comoe. You guys know you love me! Anyways...**

**And next time...**

**Matthew: My mom was...**

**Ian: What did I tell you about using that word, Carver?**

**Blaine (or is it?): You're not going to hurt my baby girl, right?**

**So you guys want to know what happens? You know what to do!**

**Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**So here's what you missed on _Just Me_**

**Rachel talked to Liz and convinced her to tell Matthew the truth, which turned out to not be such a big deal because he already knew. Julia still seems like she's just angry about everything, which totally isn't cool. And Blaine moved his hand, which the doctors called a good sign. Oh, and Matthew's friend Andy may or may not have crush on Anna.**

**And that's what you missed!**

**So... how many updates is this in one day? Three? Four? I can't remember. All I know is that I'm completely awesome.**

"Blaine." I hurried into the room, hoping for some good news. The scene didn't look too different to the naked eye, but I was keen enough to see the subtle changes. Ian didn't look quite so guarded and angry (his way of dealing with pain, in case you were wondering). Grandpa Burt was smiling, a real smile, not the fake one he'd been wearing the last few days. Anna looked like her normal self, perhaps a bit cheerier. I could see Daddy K's face, but I knew he had to look completely different - if Gabe was any indication, anyway. He was still at the edge of the bed, but instead of being curled in a ball, he was sitting upright and cross-legged, looking happier than I'd seen him in what felt like forever.

"Hey, babe," I heard Daddy B say. His voice was rough and scratchy, but that didn't take away from the fact that it was his voice. He was talking. He wasn't dead. It was like all the bad things that had ever happened to me just vanished with those two words.

"Huh," Grandpa Burt said, amazed. "Guess all he needed was you, Kurt." I smiled. If that wasn't true love, then I don't know what was.

"You - you okay, Daddy B?" Gabe asked tentatively, as if he was unsure of whether or not this was actually happening.

"A little sore, but yeah. I think I'm good." He looked at the twins. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah," they said, getting back into their "we're-twins-so-we're-going-to-say-everything-at-the-same-time" thing. Great.

"Good. And what about you, Kurt?"

"Are you seriously asking me that, Blaine? I've been worrying over whether or not you were going to _die_. I've been a complete mess." He started to cry again.

"Ssh, ssh. It's okay, baby." He put his hand on the back of Daddy K's neck and pulled his head down. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere for a very long time."

"Promise?"

"Promise. I love you, Kurt."

"I love you, too, Blaine." And when they kissed, I knew everything I was going to be okay.

"Wait. Where's Lizzie?"

"Right here, Daddy B," I said, stepping further into the room, Matthew following me like a shadow. Seeing him awake, knowing that he could finally talk to me and tell me everything was okay, made me lose it like I had so many times in the last few days.

"Come here, baby," he said opening his arms. I detached my hand from Matthew's and launched myself into his embrace. I buried my face into his shoulder as he stroked my hair. "Don't cry, Princess. Everything's okay."

"I know," I said, sitting up and drying my tears. Noticing Matthew standing there looking slightly awkward. "Oh, right. Daddy B, this is..."

"Matthew Davies, right? Quarterback?" Matthew nodded. "You're a hell of a football player, kid. But uh... why are you here?"

"Because he's Liz's boyfriend," Anna teased from her corner.

"Boyfriend?" Daddy B looked at Daddy K. "How long was I out?" he stage-whispered. Everyone laughed. "But seriously. I have no problem with you two dating. But just so we're clear... You're not going to hurt my baby girl, right?"

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir." Daddy B groaned. He hated being called "sir" the same way Daddy K hated being called "Mr. Hummel-Anderson".

"Call him Blaine," everyone said.

"Okay," Matthew laughed.

Just then the door burst open and Uncle Finn announced, "The hobbit's awake!"

"Really, Finn? You're going to start in on that?"

"I've been calling you a hobbit since we were sixteen. I'm not going to stop now just because..." But I tuned the rest out, knowing that it could go on for hours. Instead I looked around and smiled. My whole family was there - Grandpa Burt and Grandma Carole, Uncle Finn and Aunt Rachel, Anna and Dylan, Gabe and Ian, my daddies, and - I reached for him and held him close - Matthew.

Everything was perfect.

* * *

><p>Daddy B had to stay in the hospital for a few more days so the doctors could watch him and make sure he was one hundred percent. We all said our goodbyes and then we drove back to the school so Matthew could get his car. I walked him over to it and leaned against the hood and said, "So earlier at the hospital, you said something about me needing to feel lucky for having two dads because some people don't even have one." I paused, looking straight into his eyes. "Were you talking about you?"<p>

"Yeah," he replied, busying himself with looking for the right key.

"Where is he? Your dad, I mean."

"Hell if I know. I don't even know _who _he is." He found the right key and started to put it in the lock, but I put my hand over his, stopping him.

"What do you mean, you don't know who he is?"

He took a deep breath and looked at me. "Look, I've never told anyone this before and I'm only telling you now because you were honest with me. Just - just don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Of course," I vowed.

"Okay. Well... my mom was... raped. Then she found out she was pregnant and even though she knew it was that bastard's, she said she was going to keep it. Everyone told her to get rid of it, but she said no. She said that it was her baby and she loved it no matter who its father was. And nine months later... there I was."

"Oh, my God. Matthew, I-I'm so sorry." I ran my fingers through his hair.

"And here's the kicker. I look just like him."

"So?" I knew he thought that was probably a bad thing, but I remembered what Aunt Rachel had told me last night. "Just because you look like hm doesn't mean you are him. You are the sweetest person I have ever met and I know you would never hurt anyone the way that man hurt your mom."

"Thanks. I needed to hear that." He kissed me. "See you tomorrow?"

"Of course." He got in his car and I waved to him as he drove off.

Is it too early to say I think I'm in love?

* * *

><p>The next day, I walked into the choir room, happier than I'd ever felt. First of all, it was Friday ("It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday"... sorry, I couldn't resist). Second, my dad was healthy and going to be home in a few days. And thirs, I was holding the hand of one of the most gorgeous guys in school. Nothing could ruin my mood.<p>

Or so I thought.

"Okay, guys. Settle down," Mr. Schue said, walking into the room and catching the football two of the boys were in the process of throwing. He held up a piece of paper and said, "I just got our competition for Sectionals. The Jane Addams Academy and.. you'll like this, Kurt," he said over his shoulder and I knew what he was going to say next. "The Dalton Academy Warblers."

"What kind of stupid name is the Warblers?" Jason Carver said from his seat in the back row.

"A warbler is a bird," Anna explained.

"Whatever. We are so going to win this, Mr. Schue."

"Yeah," Julia agreed. "I mean, Jane Addams is a halfway house for girls just getting out of juvie."

"And everyone knows Dalton is a private school for gay guys," Jason added. "So criminals and a bunch of fags. Yeah, this'll be a piece of cake."

Ian turned around in his chair so fast, I had to do a double take. "What did I tell you about using that word, Carver?"

"What word? Oh, you mean fag? I'm sorry, Ian. I forgot. Would you rather I use homo?"

Matthew and Andy grabbed Ian before he could get out of his seat. "Jason, I've had enough of your taunting. I don't want to hear you use any offensive language again or I'm going to have to give you detention. And, Ian, calm down."

"But Mr. Schue... you heard what he said," Ian protested, his anger slowly abating.

"I konw. And I'm handling it. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Anyway, if I remember correctly, Jane Addams likes to use what's known as hairography. Right, Kurt?"

"Right."

"Which basically means that they flip their hair around a lot to distract from the fact that they aren't very good performers. Which is something we don't need."

Daddy K laughed. "I seem to recall you thinking something very different twenty years ago, Mr. Schue." Mr. Schue had told Daddy K to call him Will, but Daddy K said that would be like calling his dad Burt.

Mr. Schue reddened and said, "Yes. Well, ignoring that... Jane Addams is going to be easy to beat. But the Warblers... they're a different story. They're _good_. Like, almost Vocal Adrenaline good. If we want to beat them, we're really going to have to practice hard."

"Mr. Schue," Daddy K said, standing up. "I know the perfect person to help us beat the Warblers."

**How's that for an ending? Anyways...**

**And next time...**

**Matthew: Liz? Can I tell you something?  
>Liz: Of course.<br>Matthew: I think - I think I might love you.**

**Liz: You know what, Julia? I've had just about enough of your crap.  
>Julia: Bring it, bitch.<strong>

**Blaine: Now they key to beating the Warblers is...**

**You guys want to know what happens next? You know what to do!**

**Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**So here's what you missed on _Just Me_**

**Blaine woke up and is going to be okay, which means that everyone can go back to being happy. Liz found out that Matthew was born because his mom was raped. Ouch. Julia and Jason are still being really rude. Seriously, what is their problem? And Mr. Schue told them their competition for Sectionals... Jane Addams Academy and the Dalton Academy Warblers. (Kurt: "Mr. Schue? I know the perfect person to help us beat the Warblers.") Hmm... wonder who that could be.**

**And that's what you missed!**

**AND... I know that this is set in the future, but I'm not creative enough to make up my own movie titles, so I'm using today's. Okay? Okay.**

The next day was Saturday and I can honestly say that I had never been happier for the weekend. I didn't even mind that we had to spend the whole day cleaning, because that meant that Daddy B was coming home tomorrow. As Anna and I were making up the bed in the downstairs guest room (so Daddy B wouldn't have to walk up the stairs with his busted ribs), she said to me, "So... you'll never guess who messaged me last night."

"Hmmm..." I mused, pretending to have no idea. "Maybe... Andy Austin?" Her face lit up so I knew I'd hit the nail on the head. "See? Told you he liked you."

"And you didn't hear the best part yet."

"Which is..."

"He asked me out!"

I dropped the pillow I was holding. "Really? That's great."

"Yeah, but I'm kinda nervous about it. You know?"

I nodded, then bent to retrieve the pillow from the floor. "Hey, I have an idea. Matthew and I are going to the movies tonight. You and Andy should come with us. It'll be like a double-date." We finished the bed and started to walk out of the room. "That way, you'll have back up if you get too nervous."

"You are the best cousin in the whole world... besides you, Ian," she added as my brother rounded the corner.

"Of course," he said, continuing to walk right past us. My family could be so weird sometimes.

"So what are you guys going to see?" she asked as we started up the stairs.

"Umm... _The Hangover Part II_." I'd told Matthew the day before that the original was one of my all-time favorites and he'd texted me this morning saying that he was taking me to see the second one as our first official date. Which pretty much made him the most awesome boyfriend in th e world.

"Sweet." The movie was one of Anna's favorites, too, and she'd been dying to see the second one since they started playing promos on TV.

"Well, we better finish cleaning or no one is going anywhere tonight."

* * *

><p>Later that night at about six, Anna was freaking out over what to wear. "It's my first ever date," she said when I'd said that she didn't have to go all out. "Of course I have to go all out."<p>

"But who are you trying to impress, exactly? I mean, Andy already likes you. I doubt he'll care what you're wearing." Which was why I had already gotten dressed in an outfit that _wasn't _designed to be on a runway - distressed skinny jeans, black flats, a white tank top, and a pink and white striped cardigan over it. I still looked good, but normal-person good, not red-carpet good.

"Every moment of your life is an opportunity for fashion," she said, quoting Daddy K. Finally, she decided on dark-wash skinny jeans tucked into black riding boots and an electric blue one-shoulder top that went perfectly with her tan skin. "How do I look?"

"You could wear a potato sack and you would still be the hottest girl in the room," I replied honestly. People said I was pretty, but I had nothing on Anna. She'd inherited her height from her dad, which put her at 5'10". She had her mom's tan skin, full lips, and gorgeous hair. She was constantly being hit on by guys who were much older than her or being asked to model something or other. It got a little tiring sometimes.

"I don't like this," Uncle Finn said as we walked down the stairs. "She's too young to start dating. And how old is this boy again?"

"He's a junior," Anna replied.

"That's way too old."

"Daddy, no it's not. Besides, Andy is really nice."

"I have to agree with Anna, honey," Aunt Rachel said. "She's growing up and you have to accept that."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," he pouted as the doorbell rang.

"Be nice, Daddy," Anna warned as Daddy K went to go let Matthew and Andy in.

After a grueling fifteen minute interrogation session that would have put the Spanish Inquistion to shame, Uncle Finn was finally satisifed enough to let us leave. But not before he said, "Just don't move too fast. I'm talking to you too, Liz," he added. "Always, you know, think things through. Don't doing anything on impulse because that usually leads to something bad." I knew he was thinking about what happened when his girlfriend slept with his best friend and had gotten pregnant. (They were all over it, now, but that kind of thing leaves a mark.)

"Okay, Daddy," Anna said as we walked out to the car.

As we drove, I started thinking about what Uncle Finn had said. Were Matthew and I moving too fast? At first, I hadn't thought so, but now... I felt like I didn't really _know _him. Sure, he'd told me about his mom being raped, but there were so many things I didn't know. Like what was his favorite color? His favorite movie? His biggest fear? All the things my dads could tell you about each other off hand, and I didn't even know one about my own boyfriend. And that's not what I envisioned my first relationship to be.

When we all got out of the car at the theater, Matthew grabbed my arm gently and held me back. "You okay? You seem kind of out of it."

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay. Liz?" I looked at him. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"I think - I think I might love you."

"Please don't say that."

"Why? It's true."

"No, it's not. You can't love me. You hardly know me. What's my favorite color?" He didn't answer. "How about my favorite food? My biggest dream?" Silence. "God, do you even know my middle name?" I was starting to get worked up, but I couldn't stop myself.

"Okay, okay, clam down. I see your point. Let's - let's take this slow. Okay? You know, find out more about each other. Does that sound okay?"

"Yeah." I smiled. "Pink, bacon pizza, to be a Broadway star, Grace."

"What?"

"My favorite color is pink. My favorite food is bacon pizza. My biggest dream is to be a Broadway star. My middle name is Grace."

"Oh. Well in that case... Green, mac-n-cheese, to play in the NFL, Jordan."

"Nice to meet you, Matthew Jordan Davies."

"Nice to meet you, too, Elizabeth Grace Hummel-Anderson."

* * *

><p>The following Monday, I walked into the choir room to see the smug face of Julia Clark staring right at me. "What?" I shot at her.<p>

"Nothing," she replied. I ignored her and sat down, but when I did, I noticed what was written on the board. In the same writing as on the note I found in my locker, someone (and by someone, I mean Julia) had written:

_Studies show that gay parents raise gay children. _

I got up and erased the lie, before facing Julia. "What? Didn't you like my little note?"

"You know what, Julia?" I replied. "I've had just about enough of your crap."

Her gaze hardened. "Bring it, bitch." And I would have, too, were it not for Mr. Schue and his oh-so-convenient timing. So I just sat down and let Anna rub my back to calm me down.

"All right, guys. What we're going to be talking about today is Sectionals. More specifically, how to beat the Warblers. Now, we have a special guest to help us out with that, but I'm not sure when they'll get here, so just sit tight, okay?" He paused a second, then said, "Can I have a few guys help me out for a minute?" Gabe and Ian jumped up (God, they were such kiss-asses) and followed Mr. Schue out of the room. They returned a few minutes later with the AV Club's projector and screen. Everyone sat up a little bit straighter because... well, because we're high school kids. And high school kids love when they get to watch movies in school.

About twenty minutes later, Daddy K walked into the room, half-carrying Daddy B, who winced with every step he took. Gabe rushed to support his other side and together he and Daddy K got Daddy B seated somewhat comfortably in Mr. Schue's computer chair. Daddy K stood behind him and put his hand on his shoulder. "Hey, guys," he said, his voice still a little weak. "So I hear that you're going up against the Warblers at Sectionals. I can help."

"How?" a guy in the back asked.

"I was _in _the Warblers in high school. Well," he amended, "I was kind of the star." Daddy K muttered something that sounded distinctly like "Blaine and the Pips". "I'm ignoring you," Daddy B said over his shoulder. "So, the key to beating the Warblers is diversity." Everyone kind of just stared at him. "What I mean is that Dalton and the Warblers haven't changed in almost 200 years. They have the same buildings, the same choir room, the same uniforms..."

"Those God-awful uniforms," Daddy K interjected.

"Will you be quiet?" Daddy B playfully snapped. "Anyway... where was I? Oh, yeah... the Warblers have been doing the same thing for almost 200 years. Every year, they choose one member who they think has the best chance of helping them win. And that one member does all of the solos, which means that none of the other members have a chance to shine."

"So Mr. uh..." Joey Cipriani said.

"Call me Blaine."

"Okay, Blaine. So how is this going to help us win?"

"I thought someone might ask that. Which is why I brought a video top show you what I mean." As if that were his cue, Mr. Schue started the projector. A stage full of uniform-clad teenage boys filled the screen. _hey, hey, hey... Your lipstick stains... _"Okay, so this is the Warblers..."

"Is that you?" someone asked.

"Yes," Daddy B replied. "Now just watch."

"Or not," Daddy K rebutted. "Not much changes."

"Which is my point." We watched the rest of the performance and when the screen went black he said, "All right. Now this is New Directions the same night."_ Now I've had the time of my life..._ "So this is Sam and Quinn. And now..." _Well sometimes I go out by myself... _"That's Santana." The screen went black again. "Do you guys get what I'm trying to say?"

"Yeah," Gabe said. "As long as we don't use the same people over and over again, we'll beat those Dalton robots easy."

"Watch it, young man. Remember, you almost were one of those robots," Daddy B said with a smile. Then he added, "But, yeah. That's basically what I was trying to say. I know there has to be some pretty talented people in front of me and it seems like it would be a waste to ignore all of you. Right, Mr. Schue?"

"Right. Which is why..." he started handing out sheet music, "I want us to start coming together as a group. This song seemed to work twenty years ago, so hopefully it works now." He handed me my sheet music and I looked at the title: "Don't Stop Believin'". "And," he continued. "There's plenty of opportunities here to make sure one person isn't hogging the spotlight the whole time." From behind him, I heard a cough that sounded oddly like "Rachel Berry". Mr. Schue finished passing out the papers and said, "Now I've highlighted the parts I want each of you to sing. Sometimes it's only one line, but there will be plenty of opportunities for bigger solos." He turned towards my dads. "And, thanks for coming, Blaine. How are you feeling?"

"It could be worse. At least I'm alive." He rested his hand over Daddy K's on his shoulder.

Mr. Schue started to say something else, but I tuned him out because I was looking at the way Anna was leaning into Andy. They had gone out again on Sunday night, and I knew that they were an official couple, but I still didn't like the way she seemed to mold herself around him. Like she wasn't herself anymore, but an extension of him. Uncle Finn's words from Saturday about moving too fast and the consequences. But I shook it off. Anna was smarter than that.

Wasn't she?

**So that's that! And thank you to JasmineDB for pointing out that Liz and Matthew were moving too fast. That wasn't how I'd intended it. Hopefully, I fixed it.**

**And next time...**

**Well, actually, I'm not sure what's going to happen next. So you'll just have to wait and see! And let me know if you have any ideas!**

**Review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**So here's what you missed on _Just Me_**

**Anna and Andy are dating, but Liz is worried that something's not right with them. Liz and Matthew decided that they needed to slow down a bit and are starting to get to know each other. And Mr. Schue and the glee club are preparing for Sectionals with the help of Blaine.**

**And that's what you missed!**

**Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to Forwoodx3. Hope you like this!**

**I would like to warn you all that there is some pretty intense language in this one. Just in case you don't like that kind of thing.**

So a few weeks had passed and I had started to develop a routine. Trudge through my insanely hard classes, go to glee and prepare for Sectionals, go home and do homework, and hang out with Matthew on the weekends.

Oh, and I also had a new hobby - Keep An Eye On Anna.

Lately, she'd been acting really strangely. First, she'd started dressing differently - more downplayed than I'd ever seen her (a lot of long sleeves and dark colors). Then she'd started freaking out on people for no reason (like when Ian had come up behind her and scared her. He'd done that a million times, but - for some reason - she'd turned and started screaming at him. I thought she was going to rip his head off). Then she'd started to physically look different (she looke gaunter, with dark circles under her eyes, the skin on her face stretched tight. I once caught a glimpse of her without a shirt on and noticed that she looked like she was losing weight). She was also blowing me off to spend time with Andy (there was hardly a moment when the two of them weren't together).

She just wasn't Anna anymore.

I had to talk to her about it, so one day when we were in the bathroom (the only place I could be with her without Andy around) I said, "Are you okay? You've been looking kind of sick lately."

She paused long enough for me to notice she was stalling. "Oh, yeah. I must be coming down with something. It's no big deal." She covered her mouth and coughed into her hands. _Maybe she does just have a bug_, I thought. But then she pulled her hands away and they were covered in blood.

"Oh, my God! Come on, let's get you to the nurse."

She just laughed and turned on the faucet. "Calm down, Drama Queen," she said as the blood rinsed away from her hands. "It's nothing."

"Nothing? Anna, you just coughed up blood. That is _not _nothing." I paused, thinking of what to say next. "I'm worried about you, Anna," I said softly, putting my hand on her shoulder, which felt too bony. She shrugged off the touch. "You're dressing different, acting different. You're losing weight and getting angry at everyone for no reason. You're spending way too much time with Andy..."

"He's my boyfriend," she snapped. "Is it a crime to want to be with him?" She sounded more defensive than she needed to be. "And as for dressing and acting differently, maybe this is who I really am." I knew that was a lie. I'd known her my entire life - I knew there was no way this was the real her. "And so what if I'm losing weight? It's not illegal to want to look good."

"But you don't need to..."

"Just give it a rest, Liz? This is none of your business."

"But..."

"No. Just... just leave me alone!" She pushed past me towards the door.

"Anna, wait!" But she was already gone.

* * *

><p>When I got to glee that afternoon, I noticed that Anna wouldn't look at me. Instead, she turned her back and leaned into Andy, as if she were trying to prove something. But to who? Me... or herself? I shook my head sadly and went to sit next to Charlotte. "What's up with you and Anna?" she asked, tucking a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear and leaning in close. "You two are usually joined at the hip and now you won't even look at each other."<p>

"I don't know. She's been acting really weird lately. Like..." But I never got to finish my thought because Julia walked into the room.

"Hey, Liz! Is your dad coming to help us today?" She sounded nice enough, but I knew that an insult of some sort was brewing beneath the surface.

"Nope," I replied cheerfully. "He went back to work yesterday, so he's in court right now." Daddy B was the best defense attorney in Allen County ("Putting those acting skills to good use," Daddy K always liked to joke) and his case load had grown immensely while he was hurt, so I wasn't sure when he'd be able to come help us again.

"Good," she sneered. "There was so much gay around here, I thought I was going to catch it." As if homosexuality were a virus like the flu.

I stood up. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"Well, sorry I don't like spending my day around a couple of fags."

"There's nothing wrong with being gay," I was quick to snap back. "And don't fucking use that word," I added through gritted teeth.

"You're right, that is the wrong word. Maybe I should use queen instead. It fits one of them, anyway." She reached into her bag and pulled out the 2011 Thunderclap that she had obviously taken from the library. "Let's see," she sing-songed, flipping through the pages. "Where was it again?... Oh, here it is." She cleared her throat and read out loud, "2011 Junior Prom King: David Karofsky. 2011 Junior Prom Queen..." here she paused for dramatic effect. "Kurt Hummel."

"No fucking way," Jason Carver laughed from behind me.

"It was a cruel joke that some self-righteous homophobes like you decided to play."

"Is that what they told you?" she laughed. "Admit it, Liz, your family is full of freaks. Two gay dads, a lesbian mom..." That did it. No one insulted my family and got away with it. I marched right up to her, so close our noses were almost touching.

"And what about your family? With your dad who's never home and your mom who likes to sleep with the first guy she sees. And what about your brother Marcus? Where's he?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, dropping the yearbook and crossing her arms across her chest.

"Oh, I think you do. He's in jail, isn't he, Julia? For... domestic violence and possesion of an illegal substance, right? Didn't he get high and beat up his girlfriend so bad she had to go to the hospital?... And when's he getting out? Oh, right... never." I only knew this because Daddy B had represented him in court.

"Because you fucking fag of a father couldn't do his damn job!" Ah, finally the truth comes out.

"Don't blame my dad because your brother is a good-for-nothing druggie." Julia uncrossed her arms and shoved me so hard that I fell backwards and hit my head on the chair behind me. My blood boiling, I got up and shoved her right back.

"Don't touch me," she growled, shoving me again. So I put all my strength into shoving her - she fell backwards into the piano.

"Liz, knock it off," I heard Charlotte say behind me. "She isn't worth it. It's not your fault that she's too insecure with herself that she needs to put other people down." I looked back at Charlotte and then at Julia, who was just getting to her feet. "What you're doing makes you no better than her." I sighed. Charlotte had a point.

"What's going on in here?" Mr. Schue said, walking into the room with Daddy K.

"Nothing," Julia said sweetly. "How was your day, Mr. Schue?"

"Fine..." Mr. Schue looked confused.

"That's good." She turned to Daddy K and I tensed, my hands balling up into fists. "And what about you? How was your day... Your Highness?" Daddy K looked confused, but then noticed the yearbook on the floor, opened to the page. He pursed his lips together, which I knew was what he did when he was trying not to cry. I couldn't contain myself anymore. I walked up to Julia and tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned around, I raised my clenched fist...

And punched her square in the nose.

**Wow, it feels so good to see that Julia got what's coming to her! Anyways...**

**And next time...**

**Mr. Schue: Since Sectionals are almost here, it's time for the annual Girls vs Boys competition.**

**Andy: What were you two talking about?  
>Anna: N-Nothing, Andy, I swear.<strong>

**Liz: Matthew, I think Andy's hurting Anna.  
>Matthew: You're crazy. Andy would never do something like that.<strong>

**Liz: Anna, please tell me what's going on.  
>Anna: I - I... I think I'm...<strong>

**You guys want to know what happens next? You know what to do!**

**Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**So here's what you missed on _Just Me_**

**Sectionals are coming up, which of course means that the glee club is hard at work, without Blaine's help since he had to go back to work. Can you believe he's a lawyer? How strange is that? And something is _definitely _up with Anna - and Andy probably has something to do with it. Oh, yeah, and Liz kinda sorta... punched Julia in the face. Guess she really is Santana's daughter. (Wonder if she has razor blades in her hair)**

**And that's what you missed!**

"Guess what, Blaine?" Daddy K said when Daddy B came home later that night.

"What?"

"Liz got suspended." Yeah, you heard that right. I got suspended. It was only for one day, but still.

Daddy B, who was in the process of taking off his jacket. "What?"

"Liz got suspended," Daddy K repeated.

"Yeah, I got that. But... why?" Both of my dads looked at me. Apparently, I was going to have to be the one to explain myself. And here I thought I was just going to get to be a not-so-innocent bystander.

"I punched a girl in the face," I replied, feeling both proud and ashamed. I was proud because I had defended my family, but ashamed because I'd let Julia get under my skin so much that she'd made me no better than her.

"Broke her nose, too." Okay, that part kind of gave me a sick sense of satisfaction.

"I'm probably going to regret asking this... but why exactly did you punch a girl in the face?"

"Okay, so her name is Julia Clark and she's a total bitch. Sorry," I added when he gave me a "look" for swearing. "It's true, though. Anyway, she just seems to hate me and loves making me miserable. You see, she likes Matthew and thinks that she can break us up... or something. And she's always making all these nasty gay jokes and today she..." I faltered, not knowing whether or not to bring up what she did today.

"She what?"

"She brought up junior prom," Daddy K said, his voice lifeless.

"Oh," Daddy B said, his voice low. "Kurt," he continued, coming to sit on the couch with us, "I am so sorry. I know how hard that night was for you."

"Well... it wasn't _all _bad." They both smiled at the unspoken memory.

"Still. And Liz." Great - time to get grounded for the rest of my life. "You were mad at this Julia girl - I get that. But, next time, please don't punch her. Violence never solves anything. In fact, sometimes it just causes bigger problems. Okay?"

"Okay," I said hesitantly, still waiting for my punishment. When neither of them said anything, I had to find out what was going on. "So am I in trouble or what?"

"I think getting suspended is punishment enough," Daddy K said. "What do you think, Blaine?"

"I agree. But if you do it again, you _will _get in trouble. Got it?"

"Got it." Then I stood up and went up to my room, thinking that I had the coolest parents in the entire world.

* * *

><p>When I got back to school after my suspension, it seemed as though everyone knew what had happened between me and Julia. It also seemed as though everyone had taken sides - either they thought I was awesome and congratulated me... or they thought I was some kind of monster. I didn't care either way, I was just glad to be back. Especially when I got to glee and Mr. Schue said, "Since Sectionals are almost here, it's time for the annual Girls vs Boys competition. For those of you who don't know, every year right before Sectionals I have this competition between the boys and girls to see who can come up with the best mashup. It's mostly just to get you pumped for Sectionals, but the winning team also gets a dinner at Breadstix... on me." Everyone started talking at that point and it took Mr. Schue five minutes to calm them down. "All right, now split up into your groups and start brainstorming."<p>

I got up and went over to the girls' side. Natalie, Julia's friend, gave me a death glare before turning to talk to the recently bandaged Julia. Her eyes were blackened and her nose was swollen and off-center. I'd heard that once it healed, she was going to get a nose job. Guess my punching her had an upside after all.

"So," Charlotte said cheerfully, trying to ease the obvious tension between me and Julia. "Anyone have any ideas?" Most of the other girls shook their heads.

One girl, Riley, spoke up. "What's a mashup?" she asked.

"It's when you take two songs and mash them together to make a new song," Charlotte explained.

"Oh, okay," Riley said, looking relieved that Charlotte hadn't made her feel like an idiot for not knowing (not that Charlotte would do that. I swear the girl was on her way to becoming a saint).

"Hey, Anna," Charlotte continued, turning to my cousin, "I know you've done mashups for fun before. Got anything we can use?"

Anna was toying with the sleeve of her too-baggy sweatshirt. "No," she answered, not looking up. "They all suck." I knew for a fact that they most certainly did not suck. I also knew that Anna knew that they were amazing. I was more than a little concerned now because she was usually so confident in herself (sometimes overly so).

"Now, Anna," Charlotte said consolingly. _Bad move, Char, _I thought. "You know that's not true."

"Don't tell me what I do or do not know!" Anna burst out with. Charlotte winced - she didn't like when people got angry. "God! Why can't you people just friggin' leave me alone?" She pulled her iPod out of her pocket and jammed the headphones into her ears. She pulled her knees up to her chin and stared straight ahead at the wall. Did she think that by making herself as small as possible, she could just disappear?

We all looked at her for a minute, but then I said, "Well, I sort of have an idea..." As I told them my idea, I felt like I was two people. One was in the group and the other was outside of it, watching over Anna.

I needed to find out what was wrong.

* * *

><p>After rehearsal, I caught up with Anna and Andy right before they left the building. "Hey, guys," I said, as if nothing were out of the ordinary. "Hey, Anna, can you come to the bathroom with me?"<p>

"Can't you go by yourself?" Andy said pointedly, making a show of pulling Anna closer to him.

I laughed. "You know us girls, Andy. We travel in packs. Girls _never _go to the bathroom alone."

"Fine," he conceded. "But come right back, okay?" he said to Anna.

"Okay. Love you." The way she said it sounded like someone was forcing her to, not like she actually meant it.

"Love you, too." He released her and she followed me in the direction of the nearest bathroom. Once we turned the corner, however, I pulled her into an empty classroom.

"I thought you needed to go to the bathroom," she said, her voice hard.

"Yeah, well, I lied. I'm surprised you didn't catch it, considering how much you've been lying lately."

She crossed her arms over her chest, shielding her heart. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I'd had enough beating around the bush. "Is Andy hurting you?"

"No! Why - why would you even think something like that? Andy l-loves me. He'd n-never hurt me." I was floored. Anna never stuttered. Ever. To hear her doing it now was on par with seeing a purple duck walking backwards and singing show tunes.

"Well, _something's_ up. Anna, please tell me what's going on. I'm your best friend - I want to help you. But I can only do that if you tell me what's wrong." I put my hand on her shoulder and for the first time in a long time, she didn't shrug off the touch. In fact, she seemed to relax and before I knew it, she had collapsed into my arms, crying. "Oh, sweetie, it's okay. Just tell me what's going on."

She straightened and wiped her tears. "D-Don't tell anybody. Not the twins, or your dads, or Charlotte or anyobdy. Okay?" I nodded. She took a deep breath and I noticed how much effort it took her to do so. "I - I... I think I'm..."

"Oh, there you are!" Andy said gleefully from the doorway. "Thought you were going to the bathroom."

"Yeah, but then I remember that I left my notebook in here and I need it for my homework," I lied smoothly.

"Well, come on, Anna. We're going to miss the movie if we don't leave now."

"Coming, Andy," she replied obediantly. "See you later, Liz." Then she turned and slouched out of the room, trailing behind Andy like a kicked dog.

Now, I'm not saying I have a sixth sense or anything, but when it came to Anna, I felt like there was twin telepathy or something. I always knew what she was thinking or feeling and right now... I felt _scared_. So I left the classroom and carefully walked in the direction I'd seen Anna and Andy go. Right before I rounded the corner, I heard Andy's voice.

"What were you two talking about?" The words were innocent enough, but I could hear the threatening tone beneath the surface.

"N-Nothing, Andy. I swear."

"Don't lie to me, Anna," he warned.

"I-I'm not. I would n-never lie to you."

"Good. Because you know what will happen if I find out you are lying, right?"

"Right." It was silent after that with exception of footsteps, so I knew they had walked away.

Quickly I pulled out my cellphone and fumbled with the numbers on the touch screen, not able to get it right. _Damn iPhone, _I thought as I tried again. This time, I got the numbers right and put the phone to my ear. "Come on, answer your phone."

"Hello?"

"Matthew?"

"Liz?" He sounded concerned - and with good reason. To even my own ears I sounded crazy. "Is everything okay?"

"No." I swallowed. "Matthew, I think Andy's hurting Anna." I didn't want to say the words aloud - that somehow made everything real - but I would do anything to help Anna.

Matthew - to my utter shock - laughed. "You're crazy. Andy would never do something like that."

"I know Anna. And something's not right."

"Liz, listen to me. On the football field, Andy's a beast. But off it... he wouldn't even kill a fly."

I was starting to get annoyed now. "Matthew..."

"No, Liz. I know Anna's been acting strange lately, but I can assure you it has nothing to do with Andy. Maybe something's wrong at home, you know?" I shook my head, even though I knew he couldn't see me. Nothing was wrong at home. Anna's family was almost sickenly perfect. The day something was wrong at the Hudson house was the day I saw that purple duck walking backwards singing show tunes.

"But I really think..."

"God, Liz! Just give it a fucking rest. I know you're dramatic and stuff, but this is over the top even for you. What I want you to do is go home, calm yourself down, and then call me when you start acting like a normal person again."

"But.." I said to the dial tone.

Guess I was in this alone.

**Dun dun dun. What a twist this story is taking.**

**And next time...**

**Liz and Charlotte: No fair! They cheated!  
>Gabe and Ian: We did not!<strong>

**Finn: ANNA!  
>Anna: Daddy... I'm scared...<strong>

**Doctor: I don't exactly know how to say this...**

**You guys want to know what happens next? You know what to do!**

**Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**So here's what you missed on _Just Me_**

**Liz got suspended for punching Julia, but Kurt and Blaine didn't punish her. How cool is that? Mr. Schuester announced the annual Girls vs Boys competition. Wonder which side will win... And Liz followed Andy and Anna. Something is _definitely _wrong there. But when she tried to tell Matthew, he didn't believe her. Which totally isn't good.**

**And that's what you missed!**

**Oh, and I don't own the songs in this chapter (or any chapter, for that matter) but I did come up with mashups. Hope they don't suck!**

Over the next few days, the girls and I practiced our mashup - Anna only half-heartedly, if she even bothered trying at all. We had planned on giving her a solo since there was some notes in there that she would sound awesome belting out, but she flat out refused. So we'd given the part to Riley, who was almost as good as Anna.

On Friday, the day of the competition, I had a really good feeling about our chances of winning, despite the fact that Anna was more or less catatonic. Our mashup was killer and we'd chosen the best singers - me, Charlotte, and Riley - to perform it.

The boys didn't stand a chance.

I walked into the auditorium and sat down with the rest of the girls, not even so much as glancing at the boys. Ever since that phone call, Matthew and I hadn't spoken. I understand that he and Andy were friends, but I was his girlfriend. My whole life, I'd grown up knowing that you stand by the one you're with, no matter what. But I guess he's never learned that lesson because he'd just blown the whole thing off without even giving me a chance to explain.

Just then, Mr. Schue walked down to where we were sitting, five people accompanying him. "All right, guys. You ready for this?" Everyone cheered and my brothers yelled "You know it!" Mr. Schue laughed. "Great. Well, let me introduce you to your judges. You already know Kurt and Blaine. But this is Santana Lopez and Finn and Rachel Hudson. They're all former glee clubbers and Rachel and Kurt used to be on Broadway so..."

"Uh... Mr. Schue?" Natalie said from the seat behind me. "I don't mean any disrespect, but don't you think they're a little biased? I mean, they _are _related to some of the kids in here."

"That's true, but it's not just on one side," he replied. "Plus, I trust them all enough to be impartial and fair." I swore he gave Aunt Rachel a look when he said that. "So, who wants to go first."

"We do," the guys chorused before us girls had the chance. Mr. Schue nodded and gave them the floor... er, stage.

_Oh her eyes, her eyes_  
><em>Make the stars look like they're not shining<em>  
><em>Her hair, her hair<em>  
><em>Falls perfectly without her trying<em>  
><em>She's so beautiful<em>  
><em>And I tell her every day<em>

_You make me_  
><em>Feel like<em>  
><em>I'm living a teenage dream<em>  
><em>There's not a thing that I would change<em>  
><em>Cause you're amazing<em>  
><em>Just the way you are<em>  
><em>The way you turn me on<em>  
><em>I can't sleep<em>  
><em>Let's runaway<em>  
><em>And don't ever look back<em>  
><em>Don't ever look back<em>  
><em>Because you're amazing<em>  
><em>Just the way you are<em>

_My heart stops_  
><em>(Her lips, her lips)<em>  
><em>When you look at me<em>  
><em>(I could kiss them all day if she'd let me)<em>  
><em>Just one touch<em>  
><em>(Her laugh, her laugh)<em>  
><em>Now baby, I believe<em>  
><em>(She hates, but I think it's so sexy)<em>  
><em>This is real<em>  
><em>(She's so beautiful)<em>  
><em>So take a chance<em>  
><em>(And I tell her every day)<em>

_You make me_  
><em>Feel like<em>  
><em>I'm living a teenage dream<em>  
><em>There's not a thing that I would change<em>  
><em>Cause you're amazing<em>  
><em>Just the way you are<em>  
><em>The way you turn me on<em>  
><em>I can't sleep<em>  
><em>Let's runaway<em>  
><em>And don't ever look back<em>  
><em>Don't ever look back<em>  
><em>Because you're amazing<em>  
><em>Just the way you are<em>

_You make me_  
><em>Feel like<em>  
><em>I'm living a teenage dream<em>  
><em>Just the way you are<em>

The music ended and everyone applauded. When the clapping subsided, Charlotte and I looked at each other and said, "No fair! They cheated!"

"Did not!" Gabe and Ian rebutted.

"Really?" Charlotte said, looking straight at her boyfriend. "So you just _happened _to pick two songs that you _know _mean a lot to Kurt?" Uncle Finn had sang "Just The Way You Are" to him at their parents' wedding as a way of telling him that he accepted him (Uncle Finn had been kind of rude to him before that). And "Teenage Dream" was the first song he'd heard Daddy B sing (he said it was what made him fall in love).

"Yes," Ian laughed. "Babe, think about it. We didn't even _know _who the judges were until about ten minutes ago. It was a total coincidence."

Charlotte and I slumped in our seats, defeated by logic. "I hate you," Charlotte grumbled, just loud enough for Ian to hear.

"Love you, too, Char." She childishly stuck her tongue out at him and he smiled back. _God, I envy them, _I thought as I avoided Matthew's gaze.

The boys got off the stage and us girls replaced them. As I waited for the music to start, I looked over at Anna to make sure she was at least standing up. She didn't look good, but I couldn't dwell on it because the music started and I had to sing.

_Every single day  
>I walk down the street<br>I hear people say  
>"Baby's so sweet"<br>Ever since puberty  
>Everybody stares at me<br>Boys, girls  
>I can't help it baby<br>So be kind  
>And don't lose your mind<br>Just remember  
>That I'm your baby<em>

_This is real, this is me_  
><em>(Take me for what I am)<em>  
><em>I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, now<em>  
><em>(Who I was meant to be)<em>  
><em>Gonna let the light, shine on me<em>  
><em>Now I've found, who I am<em>  
><em>There's no way to hold it in<em>  
><em>No more hiding who I want to be<em>  
><em>(And if you give a damn)<em>  
><em>This is me<em>  
><em>Take me baby or leave me<em>  
><em>Take me baby or leave me<em>

_You're the voice I hear inside my head_  
><em>You are the one I choose<em>  
><em>Folks would kill to fill your shoes<em>  
><em>You're the missing piece I need<em>  
><em>So be mine<em>  
><em>And don't waste my time...<em>

In the middle of the song, I heard a horrible retching sound coming from my right. We all froze and I turned towards the noise. Anna was on her hands and knees, coughing up a mixture of bile and blood.

"ANNA!" Uncle Finn screamed, rushing onto the stage. He knelt beside her, holding her hair out of her face and rubbing her back. I distantly heard someone shouting something about calling an ambulance.

"Daddy," she choked out between coughing fits. "I'm scared."

"Don't be, baby." I could hear the tears in his voice. "It's going to be all right. Just... just stay with me, okay?" He continued to rub her back until she stopped coughing and then she curled herself the way she used to when we were little. She buried her face in his neck as he started to sing "Butterfly Kisses" to her, gently rocking her back and forth, staying that way until the ambulance arrived.

* * *

><p>At the hospital, I sat with Uncle Finn and Aunt Rachel by Anna's bed, waiting for the doctor. Anna was wearing one of those flimsy hospital gowns and when they'd put it on her, we were all able to clearly see the bruises that peppered her arms, chest and back. Some were yellowing and others were a nasty shade of purple. When we'd asked about them, she'd mumbled something about being clumsy, but we all knew that was a lie. Anna was one of the most coordinated people on the planet. Since she was in so much distress, we hadn't pressed the matter further, but I knew what had really happened - the bruise on her bicep was the exact shape and size of Andy Austin's hand.<p>

"Annabel Hudson?" a young woman asked, slipping into the room. Anna opened her heavy eyelids and glanced at the doctor. "Hi, Annabel. I'm Dr. Greenberg."

"Anna," she choked out, her voice rough like sandpaper.

"Sorry?"

"My name... is... Anna."

"Well, Anna, I heard you gave everybody quite the scare. Now, I'm just going to check you out - make sure you're okay." Good luck with that, Doc. Dr. Greenberg listened to her heart and lungs, looking somewhat concerned. She examined the bruises. "Where did you get all of these?"

"Fell," she whispered.

Dr. Greenberg nodded like she'd seen all of this before. She checked inside her mouth, ears, nose, and eyes. She looked at the fact that Anna was quickly becoming so skinny that you could almost see her ribs. "Anna, how tall are you?"

"She's 5'10"," Uncle Finn replied so Anna wouldn't have to.

"How much does she weigh?" We all looked at each other, none of us knowing the answer. "Well, from what I can see, I think she is underweight. Has she been eating well?"

"Not lately, but she says she hasn't been feeling well."

"Mr. and Mrs. Hudson," Dr. Greenberg said gently, "I think your daughter may have an eating disorder."

"That's bullshit," Uncle Finn said. "She's just been sick. That's why she hasn't been eating."

"Either way, I also think she may be anemic due to a lack of iron in her bloodstream But I'm going to need to do a blood test to be sure." Uncle Finn and Aunt Rachel consented and Dr. Greenberg paged one of those doctors who takes the blood. It took him forever to find a vein, and when he did, he couldn't draw a lot out. "That's okay, though. It'll be enough." Both doctors left and we all waited the eternity for the test results came back.

When Dr. Greenberg came back, Uncle Finn spoke first. "Well?" he demanded.

"She _is _anemic, but that is treatable. But she's also..."

"Also what?" I could practically see the various diagnoses running through Uncle Finn's mind.

"Well... I don't know exactly know how to say this, but your daughter is... pregnant."

"What?"

"Blood tests are very accurate, Mr. Hudson. I know you probably don't want to hear it, but Anna _is _pregnant."

Aunt Rachel looked shocked, whipping her head between the doctor and Anna. I just sat there, thinking I should have known when she tried to tell me the other day in that empty classroom. But Uncle Finn looked positively heartbroken. "Anna," he whispered. "Why? After everything I taught you... I thought you were better than that."

"I didn't..."

"Don't tell me you didn't have sex, Annabel Barbra. You're _pregnant_."

"Daddy, please... I didn't do it..."

"Anna..." His tone was a mixture of warning and sadness.

"Daddy... he raped me."

"He who?" Uncle Finn was dangerously close to punching something now.

"Andy."

**(Insert Evil Laugh Here) I'm so awful, aren't I? Anyways...**

**And next time...**

**Rachel: Finn, calm down.  
>Finn: No, Rachel. I'm going to kill him.<strong>

**Kurt: Blaine, you can't do this!  
>Blaine: I have to, Kurt. It's my job!<strong>

**Anna: I don't want it...**

**You guys want to know what happens next? You know what to do?**

**Review!**


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